Double Dipping Defense

Edition #1071: Could the Jets double-dip at defense, sorting one side of the ball before focusing on the other next season?

Good morning ☕

Once the car was suitably aired out yesterday, I spent the afternoon catching up on the Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey press conferences at the NFL owners meeting. I think Steve mentioned it in the comments, but Aaron Glenn came across really well in his session. Gone was the combative know-it-all that dominated our screens and airwaves through the season. Instead you saw a passionate and dedicated coach, desperate to bring a team he looks back to relevancy. Wanting something doesn’t make it so, but Glenn will certainly give it everything he’s got.

I know that in this PR controlled universe, both Mougey and Glenn likely went through some their main talking points to ensure the message was consistent.

One consistent theme was that there is a lot of expectation around two players on the offensive side of the ball.

Mason Taylor to breakout in year two as an all-around TE and Adonai Mitchell to take a leap in year three with a full off-season of work with the Jets.

Around this time of the year I like to work by by the old adage ‘believe nothing that you hear and half of what you see’. But when I see these kinds of comments come out in April, a few things go through my head:

1. They are genuine feelings about two players who clearly have the potential to be better than what they’ve shown so far.

2. It’s a message to the fans that there is a belief that we have enough on that side of the ball to be competitive in 2026.

3. It’s designed to throw people off the scent when it comes to draft intentions in a few weeks time.

It could be a combination of all three. But what if it’s number two?

Through free agency the Jets signed 14 players, spent a total of $111,780,000 and handed out $74,420,000 of guarantees. None of those numbers were inside the top 10 in the league. The total spending paled in comparison to the $316,112,500 handed out by the Tennessee Titans, and the guarantees fell well short of the $223,633,000 dished out by the Raiders. I know the Jets have not exactly been a pillar of excellence, but neither have the Titans or Raiders.