Jets Mailbag: What will Gang Green do during offseason and 2024 NFL Draft?

The offseason is underway for the Jets, so we figured we’d open the mailbag to see what’s on everyone’s mind.

Will Bryce Huff return? What about Laken Tomlinson and Mekhi Becton? Could the Jets draft a quarterback to sit behind Aaron Rodgers and learn?

All that and more below:

@danbau76: Who are the most likely cap casualties this offseason?

HUGHES: Tight end C.J. Uzomah ($5.3 million freed) is probably the only obvious one. The Jets could also let defensive end John Franklin-Myers ($7.3 million freed) go. I would be surprised if they did anything with cornerback DJ Reed ($6.32 million freed). He has a high cap hit ($15.636 million), but he’s also a really good player.

The Jets will also try to restructure the contracts of linebacker C.J. Mosley ($21.476 million cap hit) and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams ($20.4 million cap hit) in order to free some space, too. The rest could go either way.

@EnragedKermit: Should the Jets try and keep Bryce Huff around? Or should they bank on Will McDonald and hope he turns into the star player like they hope?

HUGHES: The Jets failed in not offering Huff an extension during this season. They weren’t going to get him for cheap, but he’d have cost a heckuva lot less than he will now. In my opinion, yes, you need to re-sign him. You have a guy who tallied 10 sacks playing just over 40 percent of the defensive snaps. I get the Jets invested a first-round pick in Will McDonald, but you have the sure-fire thing in Huff. You know what he is. Also ... he’s homegrown, too!

I just don’t see the Jets doing it. They aren’t inclined to use the franchise tag on him. Huff, as he’s said, will sign with whoever offers him the most money. The Jets will make him an offer in free agency, but I don’t see it being more than everyone else.

@EddieGarcia0826: Any chance of Robert Saleh and Co. changing their ‘Sauce (Gardner) doesn’t follow’ mentality?

HUGHES: You were going to see that toward the end of the season. Sauce Gardner told reporters the team planned to have him shadow Amari Cooper in the Jets’ Thursday night battle against the Cleveland Browns. You never saw that because Cooper missed the game with an injury. Good coaches adapt to their players. The Jets have a two-time, first-team All-Pro on their hands in Gardner. Don’t be stubborn. Let him erase an opponent’s best.

@DYlan67500007: Is there any chance the Jets draft a quarterback in the third round?

HUGHES: I think this is a very real possibility. Head coach Robert Saleh admitted (and Mike LaFleur, too, before he was fired as offensive coordinator) that the biggest issue New York made with Zach Wilson was that they didn’t give him a chance to watch and learn. They now have the opportunity to fix that. Rodgers is committing (at least) the next two years to New York, assuming things don’t go disastrously in 2024. So, get someone in here now and let him watch and learn behind Rodgers for the next two years. Then, in 2026 or 2027, he takes over. The Jets could conceivably have their own Jordan Love. Honestly, if the offensive line wasn’t as bad as it is, I could see the Jets using a first-round pick on a quarterback.

@3rdandL0ng: Do you expect Laken Tomlinson to be cut this offseason?

HUGHES: This is a fascinating one to me. You’d say yes if judging solely off production. It’s stunning to me (and the Jets sources I’ve touched base with) that Tomlinson has struggled as much as he has these last two years. The Jets viewed him as a can’t-miss prospect in free agency. Understandably, too. They kept him at left guard and in the exact same scheme where he developed into a Pro Bowl player (with, at the time, the same offensive line coach).

Instead, Tomlinson produced ProFootballFocus grades of 56.8 and 55.0 the last two seasons after 78.8 and 73.6 marks in San Francisco. He’s legitimately performing at a backup level, but getting a Pro Bowl salary.

The problem with cutting Tomlinson, though, is that you create another hole on the offensive line. The Jets already need a new starting left tackle. They need either a starting right guard or right tackle (depending on where they want to play Alijah Vera-Tucker), but then they need a legitimate backup option for Vera-Tucker because you can’t assume he’ll be the same after tearing his Achilles.

It’s a daunting task to find all that in one offseason. Hell, Joe Douglas hasn’t found that in his five years as general manager. To then add a new left guard to the list as well? That might be impossible. At least with Tomlinson the Jets know they have a player who won’t miss games – a rarity with their group.

I think you’ll see him brought back with the staff holding their fingers that his play will prove as they improve (or try to improve) those around him.

@1OF1Peezy: Do you think Mekhi Becton will be in the Jets’ future plans?

HUGHES: I would be floored if Becton is back with New York. While Becton certainly has friends in the building, he and the coaching staff never saw eye-to-eye once Saleh replaced Adam Gase. You started to see signs of it when LaFleur sounded off on Becton during those joint practices with the Green Bay Packers his first year. It deteriorated from there. There is concern internally on what kind of effort the Jets will get from Becton once they pay him and his durability also must be taken into account.

There are also legitimate production concerns. Becton finished last season with a ProFootballFocus grade of 53.2. He allowed 12 sacks – tied with Andre Dillard (Tennessee Titans) for most in the NFL. It's hard to justify bringing that back when you’re looking to improve the front five.