New York Jets Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Jets To Waive TE Jordan Leggett

May 20th, 2019 at 3:39pm CST by Zach Links

The Jets are waiving tight end Jordan Leggett, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). This marks the second draft pick of Mike Maccagnan to be jettisoned from the roster, following the trade of linebacker Darron Lee to the Chiefs.

Leggett showed promise after being selected in the fifth round of the 2017 draft and was slated to start the season at tight end while Austin Seferian-Jenkins served a two-game ban for a DUI. However, a preseason knee injury and subsequent surgery wound up shutting him down for the year. The Clemson product finally took the field last year, but finished out with just 14 catches for 114 yards and one touchdown.

Leggett was targeted frequently in Clemson’s offense over his final two seasons. He notched 46 catches for 736 yards and seven TDs as a senior, but has yet to impress at the pro level. It seems likely that Leggett will catch on elsewhere, but it’s not a given that he’ll be claimed on his current deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Retweet 1 Share 0 Send via email0

Daniel Jeremiah: I Haven’t Heard From Jets

May 20th, 2019 at 2:00pm CST by Zach Links

The Jets are reportedly targeting NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah for a high-ranking role in the front office. Meanwhile, Jeremiah claims he has not heard from Gang Green.

“Look, I haven’t said anything on any of this stuff with the Jets,” Jeremiah said on the Move The Sticks podcast (Twitter link). “The reason I haven’t said anything [is because] I have not been contacted by anybody with the Jets. I’m very happy doing what I’m doing here. I couldn’t be happier, things couldn’t be better.”

After firing GM Mike Maccagnan, the Jets installed new head coach Adam Gase as the team’s interim GM. Soon after, we learned that Eagles executive Joe Douglas is at or near the top of the team’s list for the GM role. Meanwhile, the club is also said to be courting Peyton Manning, who has no experience as a front office executive.

It’s not immediately clear whether the Jets see Jeremiah as a possibility for the GM job or if he would be a candidate for a top scouting position. But, for what it’s worth, the draft analyst says he is not interested in following Mike Mayock‘s footsteps with a jump into NFL decision making.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Retweet 4 Share 0 Send via email0

Jets Won’t Try To Trade Le’Veon Bell

May 20th, 2019 at 12:26pm CST by Zach Links

Jets head coach/interim GM Adam Gase didn’t want the team to sign Le’Veon Bell this offseason, but that doesn’t mean they’ll try to trade him just months after inking him to a four-year, $52.5MM contract. When asked about the possibility via text, a team source replied to SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano with a flat “No.”

This should come as no real surprise – the Jets have already paid out $12MM in bonuses to Bell and that’s money that could not be recouped in the event of a trade. Meanwhile, any team acquiring Bell would only be on the hook for $40MM over four years with $13MM remaining in guarantees.

Hypothetically, that would make Bell more attractive to other clubs, but it’s hard to see the Jets getting an offer strong enough to justify that financial hit. In all likelihood, shopping Bell would not result in a trade and would only serve to create a divide between the club and its best playmaker. That would be a disaster for the Jets, especially since Bell is already aware of Gase’s opposition to his signing.

Over the weekend, Veteran NFL reporter John Clayton said that he could “absolutely see” the Jets trading Bell before the start of the season, but it’s hard for us to imagine such a scenario. Moving Bell would leave the Jets with unproven options like Elijah McGuire and Ty Montgomery in the backfield and make the Jets look even more foolish in the midst of a bizarre turnover.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Retweet 8 Share 0 Send via email0

Jets Sign P Matt Darr

May 20th, 2019 at 11:46am CST by Zach Links

On Monday, the Jets announced the signing of punter Matt Darr. This officially marks the first signing by interim GM/head coach Adam Gase.

Gase coached Darr in Miami, so he’s already familiar with his skill set. For now, he’ll give Gang Green a second punting option to evaluate alongside Lachlan Edwards.

Darr beat out Brandon Fields to become the Dolphins’ punter in 2015 and held the job in 2016, Gase’s first season in Miami. He was out of work in 2017, but hooked on with the Bills for five games last year. For his career, Darr owns 45.4 yards per kick average.

This is Gase’s first signing as the placeholder GM, but his second transaction –his first move came hours after Mike Maccagnan‘s dismissal when he shipped linebacker Darron Lee to the Chiefs for a late draft choice. Meanwhile, the Jets appear to be eyeing Peyton Manning for the permanent post, but it’s not clear if the QB is interested.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Retweet 1 Share 0 Send via email0

Latest On Jets’ Star Players, GM Search

May 19th, 2019 at 8:26am CST by Rory Parks

Rich Cimini of ESPN.com passes along a number of interesting notes about the Jets this morning, including a few thoughts and reports on the futures of certain key players and the team’s hunt for a new GM.

For instance, Cimini reports that there is already speculation in league circles that head coach/interim GM Adam Gase is looking to move on from defensive lineman Leonard Williams. That does not mean that Gase wants to trade or cut Williams in 2019, but it sounds as though the new regime would be perfectly willing to allow Williams to sign elsewhere when he becomes a free agent at the end of the year. Cimini suggests that the club could franchise tag Williams or execute a tag-and-trade, but a long-term deal with the Jets does not seem likely at this point.

With respect to Le’Veon Bell, whose signing was a factor in the deteriorating relationship between Gase and former GM Mike Maccagnan, Cimini says it would not be surprising to see the Jets trade Bell after the 2019 season. If they cannot find a trade partner, then Bell can easily be cut after the 2020 season, when all of his guaranteed money will have been paid.

Robby Anderson‘s future with the club is more straightforward. Gase appreciates Anderson’s talent, and if the big-play wideout has a strong 2019, he could be back with Gang Green on a multi-year pact. If he disappoints, he will be gone.

And as far as the club’s GM search is concerned, Cimini says that the rumors connecting Peyton Manning to the job have no substance and that Manning is not on the Jets’ radar at the moment (which jibes with a report from yesterday). Cimini also hears that Eagles vice president of player personnel Joe Douglas remains the odds-on favorite for the job. Douglas has been billed as the front-runner since Maccagnan was fired.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Retweet 4 Share 0 Send via email0

Manning Unlikely To Consider Jets Job?

May 18th, 2019 at 4:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

One name certainly overshadows the others thus far connected to the Jets GM job. However, the Jets may be the latest team Peyton Manning turns down.

Connected to positions with other franchises since his retirement, Manning was mentioned as a target in Gang Green’s GM search. But the future Hall of Famer is not viewed as likely to be interested in the position, Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com tweets.

Manning has been linked to jobs with multiple teams — including the Browns and Colts — but neither process seemed to advance too far. This one may not move past the interest stage, either.

The former Colts and Broncos quarterback was also believed to be a target to be part of ESPN’s post-Jason Witten Monday Night Football booth, but that did not come to fruition. Manning, 43, is working with ESPN on multiple other projects, however. Manning’s ESPN work has represented his most public role since retiring in March 2016.

However, he did advocate for Adam Gase to land the Jets’ HC job this year. If Manning were to take a GM post, working with Gase would seem like a fit on the surface. The Jets, though, have taken plenty of heat for their mid-offseason ouster of Mike Maccagnan and are run by a relatively new CEO, Christopher Johnson. Several Jets sources told the New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta they do not exactly have confidence in their current boss’ ability to run a football team.

As for the other executives connected with New York’s GM vacancy, Robinson adds the Eagles have not been contacted about an interview with VP of player personnel Joe Douglas in what’s been a “quiet” search thus far. A former Gase coworker in Chicago, Douglas has been labeled the early favorite.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Retweet 10 Share 0 Send via email0

Jets Draft Led To Mike Maccagnan’s Firing?

May 18th, 2019 at 3:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

While disagreements about the free agency cost of Le’Veon Bell and C.J. Mosley came up in the wake of the Jets breaking up their newly formed Mike Maccagnan–Adam Gase decision-making duo, the team’s draft appears to have played a bigger role.

The Jets’ pre-draft process did not consist of much input from Gase, with Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reporting Maccagnan did not want his new head coach affecting his scouts’ views on prospects. Gase then remained quiet during the Jets’ draft-related meetings and was not a factor in the team’s decision-making on draft night.

“It pissed Adam off,” a Jets source told Mehta of Maccagnan limiting his input before the draft. “Mike didn’t want him to speak up too much. It’s a weird philosophy.”

While Mehta adds Maccagnan used this strategy with Todd Bowles as well, Gase took his discontent to another level. The new Jets HC, who “badly” wanted to make recommendations on the types of players he wanted for his system, voiced frustration to many in league circles and prior to the draft moved his seat in the team’s war room — which was captured on video for the networks airing the event — away from camera view.

Draft weekend did not feature any Gase objections to Maccagnan’s picks and scant input from what Mehta refers to as a “detached” coach. This marked Maccagnan’s fifth and final draft with the Jets.

“(Gase) literally took his seat and moved it,” a Jets staffer in the war room informed Mehta. “That was extreme.”

The Jets, who currently have Gase in the interim GM role, have taken understandable heat due to the timing of this firing. Some members of the franchise’s brain trust would have given the go-ahead for CEO Christopher Johnson to fire Maccagnan in January, when Bowles was axed, but Johnson was leery of his ability to conduct simultaneous searches for a new coach and a new GM, Mehta reports. However, the awkwardness in the Jets’ draft room looks to have pushed the relatively new decision-maker to break up the Maccagnan-Gase duo.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Retweet 4 Share 0 Send via email0

Jets Interested In Peyton Manning For GM?

May 17th, 2019 at 9:20pm CST by Micah Powell

The Jets made news earlier in the week when they fired general manager Mike Maccagnan following free agency and the draft. They could make even bigger news with his replacement, as the team is reportedly interested in filling the role with Peyton Manning, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio writes.

Florio reports that “rumors are flying within league circles” that the team intends to make a run at the future Hall of Fame quarterback, who has ties to new head coach Adam Gase from their time together in Denver. Earlier in the week, Jets CEO and chairman Christopher Johnson told reporters that he wants “a great strategic thinker” for the position rather just a player evaluator.

“I want a great manager, a communicator, who can collaborate well with the building. I’m convinced we’re going to find that person,” he said.

If they want an excellent communicator and a strategic thinker, Manning would seem to be a good fit. One thing remains to be seen and that’s if Manning has any interest in the job. Long thought of for a front-office role or as a commentator on Sundays, Manning undoubtedly has had plenty of opportunities open to him if he wants to get back into the game.

If these rumors turn out to be true and the two sides work to a deal, Manning would be joining a team looking for a fresh start with a young, promising quarterback in Sam Darnold already in tow. Even with a few intriguing pieces, the Jets remain the only team in the NFL to not win at least six games in any of the last three seasons.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Retweet 10 Share 0 Send via email0

Latest On Jets GM Search

May 17th, 2019 at 4:58pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Jets have fired Mike Maccagnan and the search for his replacement is underway, with new head coach Adam Gase serving as the interim GM. Gase is widely believed to have won a power struggle, and it seems like he’s more or less in charge in New York. Acting owner and CEO Christopher Johnson will have final say, but the new GM will almost certainly be handpicked by Gase. We’ve already heard a few names the Jets are interested in, and now we have another. 49ers VP of Player Personnel Adam Peters is a name to keep an eye on in the Jets‘ GM search, Manish Mehta of the Daily News tweets. Peters was an exec with the Broncos at the same time Gase was there as the OC, so there’s some familiarity there.

Retweet 1 Share 0 Send via email0

Jets Le’Veon Bell, HC Adam Gase In Contact

May 17th, 2019 at 1:47pm CST by Zach Links

New Jets head coach (and interim GM) may not have wanted Le’Veon Bell, but the two have been in constant contact this offseason, a source tells Brian Costello of the New York Post. Furthermore, Costello hears the conversations have been positive.

Armed with $100MM+ in cap space, the Jets used a big chunk of their available money to ink the running back to a four-year, $52MM deal. Gase didn’t want the club to spend big bucks on any rusher, but GM Mike Maccagnan got his way and landed one of the league’s most dynamic offensive talents with an average annual value of $13MM. This week, the Jets sacked Maccagnan in a curiously-timed move.

Meanwhile, Bell seems committed to making the relationship with Gase work.

“There’s been a bunch of false reports and speculation about me in the past about things I’ve said and done, so I’m used to this,” Bell tweeted earlier this week. “I don’t jump to conclusions when I hear or see a story that may affect me. Even if reports are true, that won’t stop me from doing what I came here to do…everyone has a job to do, and I’m gonna do mine whether people “like” me or not. I’m here to win football games.”

Bell and Gase have little choice in the matter as both men are set to be together through at least the 2022 season. The running back did not show for the start of the Jets’ voluntary workouts in May, but he is expected to arrive for mandatory minicamp in June.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Retweet 1 Share 0 Send via email0