Should the Jets sign Justin Simmons?

Edition #606

Good morning!

I hope everyone had an outstanding long weekend. The Jets have done a really fine job building out the roster this off-season, but you feel as though there are plenty more moves to be made. The vast majority will be roster depth pieces, and I’m sure we’ll see some familiar faces back too (Ashtyn Davis is one I think most would like to see return, who thought we’d be saying that 12 months ago). But before the draft, I still think Joe D has a big signing in him and I wonder if it may be Justin Simmons.

No Tampering Charge: I missed this last week but Woody Johnson confirmed the Jets were not pursuing tampering charges against the Kansas City Chiefs in relation to Mecole Hardman's recent comments. They likely didn’t believe there was enough energy and didn’t want to just stir the pot without any guarantee they’d get any compensation.

Not Ready. Hasson Reddick has been talking about his move to the Jets and said this about the 2024 defence: "“I love it. … I’m happy to be around a group of guys like this. A talented roster. It’s going to be fun. I don’t think anybody’s ready for what’s about to happen.”". On why the Eagles were happy to let him go, he pointed to the business aspect "It wasn't about 'what he has left in the tank'. It's a business and sometimes hard decisions gotta be made even if you don't like them."

Zach Wilson. Bucky Brooks believes the best team fits for Zach Wilson are the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos and LA Chargers. So basically the AFC West. Maybe the Jets didn’t want to bring tampering chargers against the KC Chiefs because they want to keep them sweet for a potential Zach Wilson trade.

Perfect Fit. Javon Kinlaw has been talking about his move to the Jets: “I’m glad we were able to get something done,” he said. “I kind of banked on it coming into free agency. Saleh played a big part in drafting me in 2020. I always loved being around him and his energy because I could tell that he really believed in me. Whitecotton was our assistant D-line coach my rookie year, which played a big role as well. I always loved him and looked up to him. I reached out a lot about how I can get better, so it’s like a full circle moment for me.”

Mock. PFF ran a mock draft yesterday that was based on the betting markets “Among the markets we will use in this mock are the position of a team’s first drafted player, the odds a player is drafted at each pick and the team to draft a player.” A novel approach, they had the Jets taking:

There have been plenty of unexpected cuts this off-season, but the Denver Broncos cutting ties with Simmons was a big shock for me.

Simmons was the longest tenured player in Denver having been with the team since 2016. He was a team captain, loved by his teammates, highly productive and active in the local community. He was Mr Bronco over the last 8 seasons.

Denver were in cap hell and Simmons was set to count over $18 million in 2024. Releasing him freed up $14.5 million and considering the Broncos are on the hook for $85 million in dead money over the next two years thanks to that disastrous Russell Wilson trade and eventual cut, every little counts.