Time To Pay The Man

Edition #643

Good morning! ☕

Today the team will hold another OTA open to the media and that will be the last one before mandatory minicamp which begins on June 11th. Once minicamp is done on the 13th we enter a dark period of summer holidays before everyone arrives back for training camp.

Today we’re going to focus on a subject I touched on in the quick throws yesterday, the impeding free agency of Michael Carter II.

🟢 PFF released their cornerback rankings ahead of the new season and the Jets trio all made the top-15. Sauce Gardner came in at #1 (below), Michael Carter II came in at #9 and DJ Reed was #14 on the list. The Jets have the best trio of cornerbacks in football and that’s not even a debate. Now they need to keep them.

Gardner has arguably the most impressive start to a career for a cornerback in NFL history, having quickly transformed the Jets secondary into the best unit in the NFL.

The Jets star has earned a 92.1 coverage grade and allowed only 0.53 yards per coverage snap over the last two years, both of which rank first among all cornerbacks in the league. He's had a simply incredible two-year run and will look to continue his elite play in Year 3.

⚪ Quinnen Williams has been talking about what he’s working on this off-season to take his game to the next level: "My main area of focus has just been getting a bigger bag when it comes down to pass rushing," Williams said. "I feel like I do some things good in pass rush but just getting a bigger bag and more tools that I can use on Sundays. That was really my main goal. I've been working on right side pass rushing and left side pass rushing so that I can be like a Swiss Army Knife."

🟢 Qwan’tez Stiggers has been making early strides in OTA’s according to official Jets reporter Caroline Hendershot: “The offense and defense had a good week of practice, but what stood out to me on defense was rookie CB Qwan'tez Stiggers. He was taking multiple reps against the first team, which made me think that the coaches want to see what Stiggers is capable of when going against the best. He showcased what he can do when he had good coverage on a fade pass to WR Allen Lazard from QB Aaron Rodgers.”

⚪ Jermaine Johnson believes the Jets defence are capable of even more in 2024: "Just put it all together, a game where we put together four quarters," Johnson said. "I think that we put a lot of three-quarter games together, a lot of 99 percent games together, but we had a few plays here and there. I mean aske I said before, our goal is for the other team to score zero points, then we'll go undefeated. So that's kind of where we are just reaching for perfection. You're always improving, just technique, low-pad level, explosion speed,. Just trying to be an apex predator, power, finesse at an extremely high level, really put tackles in a bind. So just really all around just dominating. That's kind of where my head is."

🟢 Who is the most underappreciated player on the Jets roster? According to NFL.com it’s Tyler Conklin - “Garrett Wilson has led the Jets in receiving yards during each of his first two seasons with the franchise. That’s not surprising. But raise your hand if you had Conklin ranking second in this category during his first two seasons with the franchise. Heading into the final season of a three-year, $20.25 million deal, Conklin has provided solid ROI to Joe Douglas, especially considering the motley crew of quarterbacks who've thrown him the football. With Aaron Rodgers under center in 2024, Conklin's set up for success in a contract year. And if the guy needed any extra motivation, remember when we spent months talking about tight end Brock Bowers as a no-brainer first-round pick for the Jets? Douglas instead opted for OT Olu Fashanu. Now it’s on Conklin to help prove his general manager right.”

⚫ Pro Football Network had a new 2025 Mock Draft out and as it’s June, why not. They had the Jets picking #23 which is a bit early for my liking. They had the Jets taking wide receiver Evan Stewart out of Oregon - “Outside of Garrett Wilson, the Jets are still in need of WR help. Mike Williams was a boom-or-bust pass catcher with the Chargers, and Malachi Corley is a slot-only option. Evan Stewart would address the issue, as his blazing twitch and burst on his routes send CBs to different area codes at all levels of the field.” Personally, I’d be surprised if Evan Stewart was even a first round pick.

Hitting on a first-round pick will likely save your career, hitting on a 5th-round pick can make your career.

Michael Carter II remains one of the very best draft picks Joe Douglas has ever made. Hitting on Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, Jermaine Johnson and Breece Hall is good, but finding someone like Carter II in the 5th round is exceptional.

Through three years in the NFL, MC2 has cost the Jets just $2.6 million, Over The Cap estimate that his play in 2023 alone was worth $8.7 million. This year he will count just 1.33% against the teams total cap ($3.4 million) and at 25 years old, there is an argument to be made that he hasn’t even hit his peak yet.