Bryce Huff looms as a Jets priority, but now that the ascending pass rusher is weeks away from free agency, the team may need to compete against other suitors on the open market. It does not look like the Jets’ in-season talks with Huff went very far.
Breaking out for 10 sacks in his contract year, Huff said recently he would not consider a hometown discount to stay with the Jets. It would then be difficult to see him pass on testing free agency. The Jets are believed to have discussed the prospect of extending Huff, but SNY’s Connor Hughes notes no offer is believed to have been made.
[RELATED: Woody Johnson Addresses State Of The Jets]
The addition of Will McDonald would stand to complicate Huff’s status. The Jets have now used first-round picks on defensive ends in consecutive years, with McDonald following Jermaine Johnson to New York. Both young rushers join John Franklin-Myers as being under contract for 2024, whereas Huff and Carl Lawson are weeks from free agency. Re-signing Huff would also seemingly lead to a minimal role for McDonald, who logged only 184 defensive snaps as a rookie.
A UDFA in 2020, Huff also might generate some hesitancy due to how much more productive he was in 2023. Huff had never previously reached four sacks or 12 QB hits in a season. His platform-year numbers in those categories: 10, 21. Conversely, teams can look at Huff as an untapped asset. This past season brought a career high with 480 snaps, but 72 edge rushers logged more playing time. Huff has been docked for run-defense issues. Pro Football Focus graded Huff as a top-25 overall edge player but viewed him as one of the worst run stoppers among edge rushers, potentially creating a quandary for interested teams come March.
Although they ended up with McDonald at No. 15 overall, the Jets were widely viewed as interested in drafting tackle Broderick Jones in last year’s first round. The Steelers, who traded up (via the Patriots) for the Georgia blocker, certainly believed this was the case. Gang Green now needs two tackle starters, if Alijah Vera-Tucker is moved back to guard; both Duane Brown and Mekhi Becton are free agents. The Jets are not believed to be overly interested in re-signing the injury-prone Becton, who griped about his standing with the team during the 2023 offseason.
Still, Huff is just 25 and coming off a season in which he led an upper-echelon defense in sacks. Teams will be interested in paying for that. The Jets have other needs, though the desperation associated with this team could certainly prompt it to act aggressively on all fronts this offseason. That still may not include a second Huff contract, with Hughes adding the Memphis product should be considered more likely than not to leave. While the Jets would be in decent shape at D-end if Huff walks, Gang Green letting him hit free agency would bring an interesting pursuit given his production in limited playing time.
They will pick who Rodgers wants them to pick.
There are probably players on defense or special teams that Rodgers isn’t even aware of. 99% of his focus will be on the offensive side of the ball.