Following D’Brickashaw Ferguson‘s surprising retirement announcement yesterday, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini writes that the former fourth-overall pick deserves to be applauded for his contribution to the Jets. The 32-year-old never missed a game during his ten-year career, and the writer believes he’ll eventually be honored in the organization’s Ring of Honor.
As we previously learned, the Jets asked Ferguson to take a sizable pay cut for the next season, but Cimini doesn’t believe Ferguson’s decision can entirely be attributed to money. The offensive tackle showed signs of decline last season, and instead of being “the guy who hangs on,” Ferguson simply decided to hang it up.
Let’s check out some more notes regarding Ferguson’s surprise retirement…
- Despite the announcement, the retirement isn’t yet official. Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole tweets that the two sides were still working to finalize the paperwork.
- There have been rumblings that the Jets were among four teams to inquire on the Titans‘ first-overall pick in this year’s draft, but Cimini believes it’d take too much for the team to move up from the 20th pick. The writer opines that a deal involving this year’s first, two future picks, and Muhammad Wilkerson could get it done, but he’s uncertain whether he’d want to “mortgage the future” for Laremy Tunsil.
- Cimini focused on several offensive line prospects the Jets could pursue in this year’s draft, including Ohio State’s Taylor Decker, Texas A&M’s Germain Ifedi, and Indiana’s Jason Spriggs.
- In regards to veterans, Cimini points to Broncos lineman Ryan Clady, who is reportedly on the trade block. Potential free agent targets include Will Beatty and Jake Long.
If Decker makes it past the Colts they’ll have to pick Spriggs or Ifedi 10-20 spots ahead of where they are likely to get drafted. I don’t see either making it to them in the 2nd round.