Multiple NFL executives bash NY Jets’ offseason additions

The New York Jets’ offseason additions have been met with NFL incredulity

There’s criticism — and then there’s New York Jets criticism.

Joe Douglas has approached the 2024 offseason exactly as most Jets fans hoped. He has systematically plugged their holes with quality players on short-term deals. Yes, there is risk involved, but he still has the draft to insure against that risk.

Still, that hasn’t prevented national and local voices from lambasting and lampooning the Jets. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and Dan Orlovsky have cast doubt on the Jets’ ability to compete in 2024.

According to an article in The Athletic that polled NFL executives, those inside the NFL feel largely the same way.

One executive pulled no punches.

“It’s almost comical, but if the quarterback plays, he plays almost instantly at a top-tier level and they become a playoff threat immediately even without a plan,” the executive sneered.

Another executive was more measured but still cynical: “Yes, it’s going to leave a large mess if it doesn’t work, but it’ll be someone else’s job to clean it up.” He added, “If this is your last chance to get it right, don’t half-step. But to say they are incurring risk is beyond an understatement.”

The executives pointed to the age and injury histories of Aaron Rodgers, Tyron Smith, and Mike Williams. The article highlighted the fact that the Jets’ additions average 29.1 years of age, the oldest of any team with at least three additions.

While the concerns about injury are not without merit, to say the Jets don’t have a plan is wildly unfair. They’ve taken calculated risks at important positions, true. But their offseason is not over yet; there is still the draft and more time in free agency to build up depth in case of injury.

Overlooking the Tyrod Taylor addition is a mistake. Sure, Taylor is an older backup, but he proved in 2023 that he is still an effective one. Should Rodgers go down on anything short of a season-long injury, Taylor can hold the fort for a Jets team that would likely have made the playoffs with short-of-disastrous quarterback play last season.

It is virtually certain that the Jets will add at least one if not two more receivers in the draft and free agency. Robert Saleh already indicated that the team is in contact with Corey Davis. This draft is deep at receiver, meaning the Jets could double-dip in the mid-to-late rounds and still find two contributors.

At offensive tackle, it seems likely that Douglas will add someone else. Even if that someone is David Bakhtiari, it would be a calculated gamble that he and Smith could cull together close to 20 healthy games. Perhaps the Jets will even add an offensive tackle in the first round, anchoring their depth with a game-ready player.

If the Jets add to those two positions — receiver and tackle — they are in good shape entering the regular season. There are other needs, such as backup running back, another safety, perhaps another linebacker, and one or two other positions. But is there any NFL team with such robust depth at this point in the offseason that they don’t have some needs?

Even for jaded Jets fans, it’s hard not to see a path forward in the AFC East. The ‘Same Old Jets’ curse is always a fear, but the Jets have more depth than the Bills or Dolphins.

The incredulity around the NFL should only fuel the Jets’ fire to prove the doubters wrong.