The New York Jets tried to make a blockbuster draft-day trade
While free agency and the NFL draft are long past, snippets of the New York Jets’ plans continue to leak out. Specifically, as “Hard Knocks” covers the crosstown rival New York Giants, several new pieces of information have come to light.
First, it was the Jets’ interest in offensive linemen Jon Runyan Jr. and Jermaine Eluemunor. Both players signed with the Giants. Now, it’s the Jets’ draft plans. They apparently tried to trade up with the Giants to land at No. 6. ESPN’s Rich Cimini speculates that the Jets wanted one particular player.
As seen on Hard Knocks, the #Jets called the Giants in an attempt to trade from 10 to 6. The Giants didn’t seem particularly interested in moving down. I suspect the Jets wanted WR Rome Odunze.
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) July 31, 2024
The idea that the Jets would have wanted Rome Odunze meshes with previous reporting. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer stated Odunze was the only player the Jets preferred over Olu Fashanu. Therefore, it makes sense that they would have tried to trade up to nab Odunze.
Reports after the first round of the draft indicated that the Jets tried to trade up with the Giants and Bears. Hard Knocks merely confirmed what we already knew. Still, it’s interesting to see the wheeling and dealing from the other side: Joe Douglas tried, but Joe Schoen wasn’t coming close to biting. There’s nothing a general manager can do if the other team isn’t interested in dealing.
It’s all water under the bridge at this point. The Giants have Malik Nabers, while the Jets have Fashanu and Malachi Corley. Time will tell whether losing out on a top receiver prospect comes back to bite the Jets or if they selected their left tackle of the future.
