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New York Jets News & Rumors

Jets To Host WR Jakeem Grant

June 10th, 2024 at 12:54pm CST by Adam La Rose

Jakeem Grant has spent time with a few different teams this offseason, but he has been unable to land a deal so far. The veteran receiver/return specialist will now join the Jets this week in his latest bid to find a roster spot.

Grant will take part in New York’s upcoming minicamp on a tryout, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. The 31-year-old has been busy this spring in his bid to make an NFL return. Grant took part in the Eagles’ rookie minicamp, later doing the same with the Saints. He has not played a game since 2021.

The former sixth-rounder earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2020, his final full campaign in Miami. That was followed up by a season split between the Dolphins and Bears, during which Grant again got a second-team All-Pro nod in addition to a Pro Bowl invitation. For his career, he has six total return touchdowns to his name along with an average of 24.5 yards per kick return.

Grant has also chipped in offensively at times, topping out at 373 yard in 2020. Expectations were high for him when he inked a three-year Browns deal, but injuries have led to a prolonged absence. The Texas Tech product suffered an Achilles tear in August 2022, followed by a ruptured patella tendon one year later. Considering the missed time, it comes as no surprise he remains a free agent deep into the offseason.

The Jets used undrafted rookie Xavier Gipson as their kick and punt returner last year. The 23-year-old racked up 319 yards and a touchdown on punt returns, adding an average of 23.2 yards on kick returns. That performance could allow him to retain his special teams role moving forward, but an impressive showing from Grant over the coming days could lead to competition being brought in.

AFC East Rumors: Douglas, Saleh, Reddick

June 8th, 2024 at 10:00pm CST by Ely Allen

Bills cornerback Rasul Douglas was able to clear up a bit of cap space for the team with a restructure in March, but he likely would’ve preferred to receive an extension as he heads into a contract year. The veteran cornerback has been absent from all offseason workouts so far this year, causing some to speculate about a holdout over his contract.

According to Tim Graham of The Athletic, Douglas’ absence isn’t due to contract issues. There’s no further information to tell us whether the absence is injury-related or not, but there don’t appear to be any contact concerns for Douglas in Buffalo. Douglas provided a huge boost to an injury-riddled defense in 2023, and his significant contributions should set him up for a nice contract in the future.

While that contract hasn’t been a focus so far this offseason, it doesn’t appear that the lack of prospects for a new deal are keeping Douglas away.

Here are a couple of other rumors coming out of the AFC East:

  • We continue to see rumors tying Jets head coach Robert Saleh to a larger role in the offense in 2024, reducing the role of offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. We’ve started seeing examples of this in organized team activities as Saleh is spending increased time overseeing the offense in practice and has been more vocal in quarterback meetings, per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. With an 18-33 record through three seasons as head coach in New York, Saleh, a former defensive coordinator, is doing whatever it takes to make sure he’s still there after Year 4.
  • The Jets essentially exchanged pass rushers with the Eagles this offseason, trading for Haason Reddick while allowing Bryce Huff to depart in free agency. Despite Huff delivering a 10-sack season for the Jets last year, the team didn’t view him as an every-down player. According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, New York is so confident that Reddick will be that guy for them that they took on an expiring contract and even traded away John Franklin-Myers to the Broncos to ensure Reddick has the opportunity to shine. After failing to land an extension with the Eagles, Reddick will attempt to show just how much he’s worth with the Jets in 2024.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/6/24

June 6th, 2024 at 6:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Thursday’s minor moves:

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed: CB Clay Fields III, WR Derek Slywka
  • Placed on IR: S Daniel Scott
  • Waived: C Jack Anderson

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Reverted to IR: WR David White

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Waived: RB Hassan Hall

New England Patriots

  • Signed: WR JaQuae Jackson
  • Waived: WR T.J. Luther

New York Jets

  • Waived/failure to disclose physical condition: DL Tyreek Johnson

The Colts chose Scott in the 2023 fifth round, but they will see him miss a second full season due to injury. Scott suffered a torn Achilles during OTAs last week, per the Indianapolis Star’s Joel Erickson. This marks the second time Scott has gone down before Colts training camp; he sustained an ACL tear during spring workouts last year. The Colts chose Scott 158th overall out of Cal.

Best known for a 12-game Giants tenure that featured two starts in 2022, Anderson found his way to the Colts last year. The team used the young O-lineman in one game and extended him in March. A seventh-round Bills draftee in 2021, Anderson also started a game for the Eagles in 2021.

Latest On Jets’ Haason Reddick

June 4th, 2024 at 9:46am CST by Rory Parks

JUNE 4: When speaking to the media on Tuesday, Jets head coach Robert Saleh confirmed Reddick has been absent from the team throughout the offseason (video link via SNY’s Connor Hughes). Saleh has yet to be in contact with the two-time Pro Bowler, though he added he expects Reddick to attend next week’s mandatory minicamp. Missing out on OTAs will cost Reddick a $250K workout bonus, Cimini notes.

JUNE 2: One of the newest members of the Jets’ roster, edge defender Haason Reddick, has not been present for the club’s two OTA sessions that have been open to the media, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com observes. Presumably, Reddick has not participated in any of New York’s six OTAs to date.

Of course, those sessions are voluntary, though players often stay away in order to drive home the point that they are seeking a new contract. That could certainly be the case with Reddick, who was acquired via trade with the Eagles earlier this year and who is entering the final season of the three-year, $45MM contract he signed with Philadelphia in March 2022.

Reddick’s $14.5MM base salary for the upcoming campaign is non-guaranteed, and while he made it clear that he did not request a trade from the Eagles and hoped to remain with the club, the fact that he is underpaid relative to his market value and will be the beneficiary of a lucrative new deal in the near future certainly drove GM Howie Roseman‘s decision to move the accomplished sack artist.

Obviously, extension talks between Reddick and Philadelphia were unsuccessful. And while it was speculated that Reddick and the Jets would discuss a new contract upon his arrival, Cimini says that if negotiations have indeed taken place, nothing to that effect has been made public.

At his introductory press conference in April, Reddick suggested he would be amenable to a multi-year accord with Gang Green but would also be willing to play out the 2024 season and hit the open market next year. One way or another, the Jets will be counting on him to spearhead their pass-rushing contingent, particularly since their 2023 sack leader, Bryce Huff, defected to (coincidentally) the Eagles in free agency.

If Reddick does maintain the level of production he has established over his past few seasons — he has averaged over 12.5 sacks per year from 2020-23 — he will certainly be in line for a monster payday in 2025 (if he does not get one before then). There are currently 12 edge rushers with contracts featuring average annual values of at least $20MM, and Reddick’s production and record of durability give him a strong case to join that group. Whether he elects to skip the remainder of OTAs and/or any portion of mandatory minicamp or training camp as part of that endeavor remains to be seen.

Jets Unlikely To Cut WR Allen Lazard, Could Extend CB Michael Carter II

June 2nd, 2024 at 9:44pm CST by Ely Allen

We saw reports a couple weeks ago that the Jets would be open to trading away wide receiver Allen Lazard. One thing that’s become more than clear, though, is that New York won’t likely be cutting him anytime soon, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini.

The former undrafted free agent out of Iowa State signed a big four-year, $44MM contract to follow his quarterback from Green Bay to New York last year. After said quarterback was lost for the year, Lazard went on to put up his worst season since his rookie year. After seeing Lazard step up in 2022 as the Packers’ WR1 following Davante Adams‘ departure, the Jets were hoping Lazard would bring similar success returning to the WR2 role behind Garrett Wilson. While Lazard did just perform as the team’s WR2, he severely underperformed, catching 23 passes for 311 yards and one touchdown while getting outgained by running back Breece Hall and tight end Tyler Conklin.

One may shrug off that lack of production due to Aaron Rodgers‘ season-ending injury, but that excuse doesn’t lessen the impact of Lazard’s contract. With Lazard holding a $12.18MM cap hit in 2024, the Jets can hardly afford for the 28-year-old to repeat last year’s disappointment. Unfortunately, though, with his entire $10MM salary in 2024 already guaranteed, they can’t afford to release him, either. That’s why the team is okay trading him. At this point, trading him would only cost them $2.18MM in dead money while saving them $10MM in cap space; cutting Lazard would cost them all $12.18MM from the salary and prorated signing bonus, leaving the entire amount on their salary cap.

The team also acquired veteran free agent Mike Williams and drafted Western Kentucky receiver Malachi Corley in the third round of this year’s draft. Both players are currently projected to be above Lazard on the depth chart, making it far more difficult for Lazard to improve on his situation and production. Without the ability to release him, trading away the veteran wideout may be the only way to keep Lazard from eating up $10MM of cap space while spending the season as an off-the-bench role player in 2024.

On the other side of the ball, the Jets are showing a lot of interest in extending nickelback Michael Carter II. With higher-profile players like Sauce Gardner, C.J. Mosley, Quinnen Williams, and Jermaine Johnson getting most of the attention, Carter has quietly emerged as one of the top players at his position. Though Pro Football Focus doesn’t grade nickel cornerbacks separately from outside cornerbacks, Carter still ranked just nine spots behind Gardner as the 12th-best cornerback in the NFL. This was only a slight improvement over his placement at 19th in his sophomore campaign.

Now heading into the final year of his rookie deal, the Jets would prefer to get ahead of what could be yet another bout with unrestricted free agency next offseason. A few complications will stand in the way, though. The outside cornerback opposite Gardner, D.J. Reed, also graded out highly per PFF, slotting in at 19th last year, giving New York three cornerbacks in the top-20 in 2023. Reed is also entering a contract year, and Gardner will be eligible for a new contract the following year and will likely draw record-breaking numbers. The team also recently signed Isaiah Oliver who has been one of the league’s better slot cornerbacks in recent years. Although he is reportedly moving to the safeties room in New York, Oliver could slide back into his original position should the team opt not to pay Carter.

The league’s highest-paid nickelback is currently Taron Johnson on the Bills who is under a three-year, $33MM deal. That contract is identical in length and total value to Reed’s expiring deal, and after his top-20 performance in 2023, Reed may push that price up with a successful 2024 campaign. Throw in fact that Gardner’s future contract could push $23 or $24MM per year, and it’s going to be nearly impossible for the Jets to hold on to all three.

New York has some decisions to make in its cornerbacks room. Extending Carter may well be the cheapest of the three deals, but doing so may mark the end of Reed’s time with the Jets. With Gardner the clear, No. 1 priority, New York may be facing a decision of extending only one of either Carter or Reed.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/31/24

May 31st, 2024 at 8:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

Friday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Released from IR via injury settlement: TE Tucker Fisk

Minnesota Vikings

  • Waived: OL Matt Cindric 

New York Giants

New York Jets

Jets To Bring In RB Tarik Cohen

May 29th, 2024 at 10:25am CST by Sam Robinson

Injuries stalled Tarik Cohen‘s career early in the 2020s. The former Bears running back and Pro Bowl return man managed a comeback opportunity with the Panthers last year, but the team ended that bid recently. The Jets will now take a flier.

Cohen is heading to New York on a one-year agreement, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. This comes after the Panthers cut him earlier this month. Robert Saleh confirmed the deal, and the fourth-year Jets HC (via SNY’s Connor Hughes) pointed to the new kickoff rules when discussing Cohen.

With the NFL greenlighting an experiment that will reintroduce the kick return to prominence, some teams are making notable additions in preparation. The Steelers brought in Cordarrelle Patterson hours after owners approved the one-year trial for the XFL-style kickoff, and the Seahawks added Laviska Shenault Jr. with a return role in mind. Cohen has contributed on offense, but his best NFL work has come in the return game.

Cohen, 28, led the NFL in punt-return yardage in 2018, earning first-team All-Pro acclaim, and returned a punt for a touchdown as a rookie a year prior. The bulk of Cohen’s return experience has come on punts, however. The Bears removed the 5-foot-7 back from the kick-return role after his rookie season. Of course, Chicago rostered Patterson from 2019-20. Ceding a job to one of the best kick returners in NFL history did not prove detrimental for Cohen, who signed a three-year, $17.25MM extension in 2020.

Although the Panthers stashed Cohen on their practice squad last year, injury trouble — which initially cropped up not long after his extension came to pass — resurfaced. Cohen spent several weeks on Carolina’s practice squad injured list. The North Carolina A&T alum has not played in a game since the 2020 season; Cohen suffered a torn ACL in September 2020 and missed the 2021 season as well. Shortly after being released in 2022, Cohen sustained an Achilles tear.

The Jets used UDFA Xavier Gipson as their primary return man last year. That fit produced one of the most memorable special teams moments in team history, via the walk-off Week 1 punt return. Saleh confirmed Gipson remains the frontrunner for the kick-return role. Seeing as nearly four years have passed since Cohen’s last game action, the small-school product is running out of chances. But the Jets, who will have 16 practice squad spots in addition to their 53-man roster, will see what the former Bears standout has left.

AFC East Rumors: Patriots OL, Saleh, Milano

May 26th, 2024 at 6:38pm CST by Ely Allen

With veteran left tackle Trent Brown departing in free agency, the Patriots are looking to fill his old role this offseason. As organized team activities have opened, free agent addition Chukwuma Okorafor has been taking first-team snaps at the position, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.

Okorafor, a former third-round pick for the Steelers, has spent the first six years of his NFL career in Pittsburgh. His first two seasons only saw the Nigerian find starting time as an injury replacement. After Okorafor finished out his rookie contract with two straight seasons as a starter, the Steelers rewarded him with a three-year, $29.25MM extension. After losing his starting job to first-round rookie Broderick Jones last year, though, the Steelers released Okorafor to free agency.

Now in New England, Okorafor will have the opportunity to re-earn a starting job and fill in for the departed Brown. Okorafor’s competition for the job will be Vederian Lowe, who started eight games in injury relief for the Patriots last year, and third-round rookie Caedan Wallace out of Penn State.

In additional offensive line news out of New England OTAs, second-year lineman Atonio Mafi was seen taking snaps at center behind starter David Andrews. Mafi, a former fifth-round pick who converted from defensive line to guard at UCLA, had yet to seen time at center while making five starts at left guard as a rookie. New offensive line coach Scott Peters and assistant offensive line coach Robert Kugler seem to have some interest in expanding his role on the line.

Here are some other rumors coming out of the AFC East:

  • We had reported previously that Jets head coach Robert Saleh had explored the idea of reducing the role of offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. This exploration came after the seeing Hackett seemingly lost for options after the loss of starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers early in the season. A more recent report from ESPN’s Rich Cimini claims that Saleh is now taking a deeper role in the offense himself. The former defensive coordinator seems to be keeping a close eye over the shoulder of Hackett as their jobs both heat up in 2024.
  • Long-time Bills starting linebacker Matt Milano missed 12 games after suffering a season-ending knee injury last year. The team is looking to pair Milano back up with last year’s emergent starter Terrel Bernard, but that won’t be happening in OTAs. According to Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN, Milano is on schedule with his recovery, but “it’s probably going to be more closer to training camp until” he sees the field again.

Aaron Rodgers On Jets OC Nathaniel Hackett

May 24th, 2024 at 10:44pm CST by Adam La Rose

Nathaniel Hackett is in place to reprise his role as offensive coordinator of the Jets in 2024. The maligned play-caller has been the subject of considerable speculation this offseason, though, with New York reportedly seeking out a de facto replacement.

Hackett had success alongside Aaron Rodgers as a non-play-calling offensive coordinator in Green Bay. He took his first head coaching opportunity with Denver in 2022, but that resulted in his firing before the campaign came to an end. The 44-year-old reunited with Rodgers in New York last season, but his performance guiding the Jets’ offense was met with criticism.

Head coach Robert Saleh was connected to exploring a hire to whom Hackett would cede at least some of his authority this winter, but to date no such move has been made. The latter feels he still has the support of the former, and that is also the case with respect to Rodgers. Healthy following his Week 1 Achilles tear, the future Hall of Famer provided a public endorsement of Hackett during an appearance on Mad Dog Sports Radio.

When asked by host Adam Schein why the Jets should trust Hackett, Rodgers replied, “Well, you should trust me and I trust Nathaniel. So, to me, that’s end of story. There’s been a lot of BS that’s been said out there. There’s a lot of things that have gone on the last couple years that he’s dealt with that I think he’s handled very professionally. And at the end of the day, I think you gotta trust his and my working relationship and the conversations that we have” (h/t ESPN’s Rich Cimini).

Saleh, Hackett and general manager Joe Douglas have faced questions about their job security, but the trio received a mulligan from owner Woody Johnson following a 2023 season in which Rodgers was sidelined for all but four snaps. The latter will be a central figure in New York’s ability to rebound this year, and Hackett too will receive plenty of attention as the season goes on. Cimini confirms the Jets sought out an experienced staffer, though he adds Hackett’s status as play-caller likely would have been safe in any case.

“We gotta believe in Nathaniel,” Rodgers added. “At the end of the day, his and my partnership is one that’s been fruitful in the past, and it’s gonna be fruitful again.”

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