FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Joe Douglas guarded the New York Jets’ checkbook last season a lot better than his rebuilt offensive line protected the quarterback.
The general manager finished his first full year on the job with nearly $27 million in unused salary-cap dollars, the second-highest total in the NFL — money rolled into the 2021 cap. That was part of the plan. Instead of spending lavishly on a mediocre free-agent class, Douglas decided to save for a rainy day.
Well, the green and white umbrellas are out. Actually, they have been out for several months.
Coming off one of the worst seasons in franchise history, a 2-14 disaster, Douglas is gearing up for his second foray into NFL free agency. Last year’s free-agency returns were lackluster, increasing the pressure on the popular GM to repair the roster ASAP. His political cover is gone (see: coach Adam Gase, fired) and the honeymoon is over.
It’s time to turn up the aggressiveness a notch or two and build on the positive momentum from the well-received hiring of coach Robert Saleh. While half the league is struggling to get under the reduced cap, the Jets are sitting on a pile of money — $77 million in cap room, second to the Jacksonville Jaguars, per OverTheCap.com. In what figures to be a buyer’s market, the Jets have the ability to clean up.
And yet Douglas doesn’t sound like an executive who is planning a spending spree.
“We’re better positioned than we were this time last year. I would say that our philosophy, and stance, has not changed, however,” he said. “Our goal and our plan is to be … a team that really builds this through the draft and hitting on draft picks, obviously using free agency to supplement our roster.”
One caveat: Douglas said the Jets will be aggressive if “the opportunity and the value meet.” In GM-speak, that means the Jets will pursue a top free agent if they don’t have to overspend too much.
Free agency, at its core, is all about overspending. Douglas’ predecessors could write a book on that subject, but he has demonstrated fiscal restraint. In 21 months on the job, he has handed out one free-agent contract that included two years of fully guaranteed money — center Connor McGovern ($18 million guaranteed at signing).
They will attempt a splurge or two in the upcoming market — the “legal tampering” period begins Monday — but the likelihood is they will look for value among midlevel free agents. There are several holes to fill on both sides of the ball, so this could be a volume approach. Douglas tried that last offseason, and it didn’t work too well.
Instead of chasing tackle Jack Conklin, who signed with the Cleveland Browns for $30 million in guarantees, the Jets signed McGovern, tackle George Fant ($8.9 million), guard Greg Van Roten ($3.3 million) and re-signed guard Alex Lewis ($5.6 million) — a total of $35.8 million.
Conklin made the Pro Bowl for the rejuvenated Browns. The Jets, with the addition of the four veterans, fielded one of the worst offensive lines — 29th in sack percentage, 31st in pressure percentage and 29th in pass block win rate, per ESPN Stats & Information.
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Keyshawn Johnson and Matt Miller discuss the possibility of the Eagles and Jets drafting quarterbacks in the top 10.
Douglas might have to reinvest in the offensive line, as Lewis and Van Roten are possible cap casualties. McGovern underachieved — he was 33rd out 35 centers in PBWR — but he’s not going anywhere, because his $8 million salary is guaranteed.
The offensive line is supposed to be Douglas’ area of expertise. While he drafted a gem in tackle Mekhi Becton, his performance in free agency was mediocre. The upside is he didn’t compromise his 2021 cap situation, as the Lewis, Van Roten and Fant contracts have easy escapes.
He also whiffed on cornerback Pierre Desir ($3.25 million) and wide receiver Breshad Perriman ($6 million), but at least there were no future cap ramifications, because they both had one-year deals. Perriman was the response to losing wide receiver Robby Anderson to the Carolina Panthers, a mistake Douglas later acknowledged.
To use a baseball analogy, Douglas’ free-agent class of 2020 yielded plenty of innings eaters — six players who played at least 55% of the snaps. Those six ate up $31 million in cap room — cost-efficient, but devoid of impact.
Some in the agent community are curious to see how the Jets approach the coming weeks. The salary cap, $198.2 million in 2020, is expected to drop and will have a floor of $180 million. This will affect the way every team does business, even those flush with cap space. Teams such as the Jets and Jaguars should have the ability to frontload contracts, which could provide an edge in competitive bidding.
The Jets also have flexibility because quarterback Sam Darnold is on his rookie contract, but that benefit ends in 2022 (assuming the Jets decline his fifth-year option, an estimated $18.7 million). In theory, this should affect their free-agent plans. If New York is planning to trade Darnold in the coming weeks and draft a replacement with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the Jets can extend the rookie contract luxury through 2024 — a perk that should allow them to be ultra-aggressive in the upcoming market.
They have needs at guard, running back and wide receiver on offense, although it would be a surprise if they spend heavily on a wide receiver. Once again, the draft is loaded with them.
With three picks in the top 34, the Jets are in prime position to grab a top pass-catcher. One free-agent exception could the Panthers’ Curtis Samuel, a multi-dimensional threat who would be a nice fit in the offense. Coordinator Mike LaFleur is bringing the San Francisco 49ers’ scheme to the team, and Samuel — a threat on “jet” sweeps — could fill the Deebo Samuel role. (No relation, but that would be quite a coincidence.)
There are a handful of edge rushers who could intrigue the Jets, most notably the Cincinnati Bengals’ Carl Lawson and the Baltimore Ravens’ Yannick Ngakoue — both only 26. If you’re going to splurge, do it for a proven pass-rusher.
This could be a watershed offseason for Douglas, who walked into a difficult situation in 2019 (good thing he got a six-year contract) but created a treasure map by collecting draft capital and creating cap room. Now they have to find it. No one is more optimistic than Saleh, who has worked alongside Douglas for less than two months.
“Joe and his staff have done an awesome job with regards to setting the organization up,” Saleh said. “Now it’s just a matter of making sure that we do a great job in communication, working our tails off and evaluating, not only with regards to scheme, but player evaluations, and putting these guys in position to be very successful.
“We’re going to get better. We’re going to win championships here.”