The Jets and Kony Ealy‘s camp have discussed an extension, the defensive end tells Darryl Slater of NJ.com. Ealy says he’s not focused on a new deal, but he made it clear that he wants to stay with Gang Green.
“Definitely,” he said. “Just got to wait and see. You never know what happens. It’s a long way from that now. Just got to worry about finishing out the year.”
Ealy, 26, was a second-round pick of the Panthers in 2014. His rookie deal is set to expire after the season, meaning that he is scheduled for unrestricted free agency in the spring.
Ealy fell to the Jets at a time when his stock was extremely low. In March, the Panthers shipped him to the Patriots in order to move up from the No. 72 pick to the No. 64 selection. Much to the Patriots’ dismay, Ealy struggled in practice and he was waived at the end of August. The Jets took a low-risk flier on him and it paid off.
This season, Ealy has one sack, one interception, seven quarterback hits, and nine pass breakups. His traditional stat line isn’t overly impressive, but the Jets like the pressure that he provides. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus also show that he is playing quality football. Ealy has a career-best 75.6 overall score from PFF and ranks as their No. 50 edge defender in the NFL.