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Jets To Sign OL Billy Turner

May 1st, 2023 at 5:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

5:55pm: The Turner-Hackett partnership will continue to a third city. After today’s meeting, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (on Twitter) the Jets are signing the veteran tackle. Turner agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $3.15MM. These are roughly the same terms as Turner’s 2022 Broncos deal. With Turner believed to be healthy after a knee injury last season, he will supply the Jets with a scheme-familiar option at tackle.

4:16pm: Billy Turner followed Nathaniel Hackett from Green Bay to Denver in 2022. With the Broncos moving in a different direction at right tackle, the veteran may have an opportunity land with Hackett’s next team.

The Jets are meeting with Turner on Monday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Turner has played the past four seasons under Hackett and is obviously familiar with the system the new Jets OC will use. While the Jets were connected to first-round tackles ahead of the draft, other teams pouncing on the class’ top blockers led to the AFC East team making other plans at the position.

The Cardinals (Paris Johnson), Bears (Darnell Wright) and Titans (Peter Skoronski) made O-line choices between the Nos. 6 and 11 overall picks, and the Patriots dealt No. 14 overall to the Steelers, who brought in Broderick Jones. The Jets had held the No. 13 overall pick until last week but moved back two spots in the Aaron Rodgers trade. As a result, the team just missed out on Round 1 tackle real estate. Rather than take Oklahoma’s Anton Harrison, whom the Jaguars ended up choosing later in Round 1, the Jets drafted Iowa State edge rusher Will McDonald.

Although the Jets did address their tackle spot later — via a fourth-round pickup of Carter Warren — they exited the draft with similar questions. The team has 2020 first-rounder Mekhi Becton under contract, but the once-promising blocker has only played one game over the past two years. Duane Brown is coming off surgery and going into his age-38 season, while 2022 fourth-round pick Max Mitchell saw a blood-clot issue shut him down late last season. Mitchell is back in the fold, but the Jets have uncertainty at both tackle spots. Veteran Cedric Ogbuehi, one of the Jets’ emergency options during an injury-riddled season at this position last season, also re-signed last month.

While the Packers cut bait on Turner’s four-year deal in 2022, Hackett brought him back to Denver on a one-year contract. The multi-stint Broncos starter battled injury trouble last season, being one of a few Denver O-linemen to go down, but was viewed as the team’s optimal right tackle starter. Favored to win the job out of training camp, Turner instead needed more recovery time and did not make his first-string debut until Week 7. Another knee injury sidelined Turner in November and limited him to eight games (seven starts) last season. Pro Football Focus rated Turner as a top-50 option at tackle in each of his three Packers slates but did not view his injury-limited Broncos season as well, slotting the North Dakota State alum 70th at the position last season.

The Broncos, who have battled rampant right tackle issues over the past decade, signed Mike McGlinchey to a big-ticket deal. Turner is not in the team’s plans but said last month he is 100%. Turner, 31, played both tackle spots and worked at guard during his three-year Green Bay run. The former Dolphins third-round pick has made 61 starts over the past four seasons. Given his ties to Hackett, Turner reuniting with he and Rodgers would make sense for the Jets. Three-year Jets starter George Fant remains a free agent.

Jets Could Re-Sign LB Kwon Alexander

April 30th, 2023 at 12:05pm CST by Rory Parks

The Jets are open to re-signing linebacker Kwon Alexander, as ESPN’s Rich Cimini tweets. Cimini adds that the two sides have remained in touch throughout the offseason.

Alexander, who is entering his age-28 season, agreed to a veteran-minimum contract with New York last July. In his first season as a member of Gang Green, the LSU product appeared in all 17 games (12 starts) and posted 69 tackles. Pro Football Focus assigned him an overall score of 63.0, which positioned him as the 44th-best LB among 81 qualifiers.

With Aaron Rodgers now in the fold, the Jets profile as legitimate championship contenders in 2023. Though the club missed the postseason last year, it still fielded the fourth-best defense in the league in terms of both yards allowed and points allowed, and after re-signing Quincy Williams in March, it stands to reason that the Jets would want to keep the third member of their C.J. Mosley/Williams/Alexander linebacker triumvirate intact. The fact that Alexander could likely be had for another modest contract — there have been no public reports of outside interest in him this offseason — makes him more attractive.

Plus, the draft did not do much to bolster New York’s LB corps. GM Joe Douglas did add a linebacker, Western Michigan’s Zaire Barnes, in the fifth round, but Barnes does not profile as a player that will immediately command significant snaps on the defensive side of the ball. He joins 2021 Day 3 draftees Jamien Sherwood and Hamsah Nasirildeen and reserve/futures signee Chazz Surratt as the only other ‘backers on the roster. That group combined to play 42 defensive snaps in 2022.

Another selling point for Alexander is that he holds up well in coverage. having yielded QB ratings of 81.5 and 89.5 over the past two seasons. He may not be the same player he was in 2017, when he earned his first and only Pro Bowl nod, but he remains a capable defender who is already familiar with Robert Saleh‘s high-end defense.

2023 NFL Draft Results: Team By Team

April 29th, 2023 at 10:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the 2023 NFL Draft gets underway, we will keep track of each team’s haul here:

Arizona Cardinals

Round 1, No. 6 (from Rams through Lions): Paris Johnson, OT (Ohio State) (signed)
Round 2, No. 41 (from Titans): BJ Ojulari, DE (LSU) (signed)
Round 3, No. 72 (from Titans): Garrett Williams, CB (Syracuse) (signed)
Round 3, No. 94 (from Eagles): Michael Wilson, WR (Stanford) (signed)
Round 4, No. 122 (from Dolphins through Chiefs and Lions): Jon Gaines II, G (UCLA) (signed)
Round 5, No. 139 (from Broncos through Lions): Clayton Tune, QB (Houston) (signed)
Round 5, No. 168 (from Cardinals through Lions): Owen Pappoe, LB (Auburn) (signed)
Round 5, No. 180: Kei’Trel Clark, CB (Louisville) (signed)
Round 6, No. 213: Dante Stills, DT (West Virginia) (signed)

Atlanta Falcons

Round 1, No. 8: Bijan Robinson, RB (Texas) (signed)
Round 2, No. 38 (from Colts): Matthew Bergeron, T (Syracuse) (signed)
Round 3, No. 75: Zach Harrison, DE (Ohio State) (signed)
Round 4, No. 113: Clark Phillips III, CB (Utah) (signed)
Round 7, No. 224 (from Raiders): DeMarcco Hellams, S (Alabama) (signed)
Round 7, No. 225: Jovaughn Gwyn, G (South Carolina) (signed)

Baltimore Ravens

Round 1, No. 22: Zay Flowers, WR (Boston College) (signed)
Round 3, No. 86: Trenton Simpson, LB (Clemson) (signed)
Round 4, No. 124: Tavius Robinson, LB (Ole Miss) (signed)
Round 5, No. 157: Kyu Blu Kelly, CB (Stanford) (signed)
Round 6, No. 199: Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, OT (Oregon) (signed)
Round 7, No. 229 (from Browns): Andrew Vorhees, G (USC) (signed)

Buffalo Bills

Round 1, No. 25 (from Giants through Jaguars): Dalton Kincaid, TE (Utah) (signed)
Round 2, No. 59: O’Cyrus Torrence, G (Florida) (signed)
Round 3, No, 91: Dorian Williams, LB (Tulane) (signed)
Round 5, No. 150 (from Commanders): Justin Shorter, WR (Florida) (signed)
Round 7, No. 230 (from Buccaneers through Jets, Texans, Eagles and Bills): Nick Broeker, G (Ole Miss) (signed)
Round 7, No. 252 (from Buccaneers through Rams): Alex Austin, CB (Oregon State) (signed)

Carolina Panthers

Round 1, No. 1 (from Bears): Bryce Young, QB (Alabama) (signed)
Round 2, No. 39: Jonathan Mingo, WR (Ole Miss) (signed)
Round 3, No. 80 (from Steelers): D.J. Johnson, DE (Oregon) (signed)
Round 4, No. 114: Chandler Zavala, G (North Carolina State) (signed)
Round 5, No. 145: Jammie Robinson, S (Florida State) (signed)

Chicago Bears

Round 1, No. 10 (from Saints through Eagles): Darnell Wright, OT (Tennessee) (signed)
Round 2, No. 53 (from Ravens): Gervon Dexter, DT (Florida) (signed)
Round 2, No. 56 (from Jaguars): Tyrique Stevenson, CB (Miami) (signed)
Round 3, No. 64: Zacch Pickens, DT (South Carolina) (signed)
Round 4, No. 115 (from Saints): Roschon Johnson, RB (Texas) (signed)
Round 4, No. 133 (from Eagles): Tyler Scott, WR (Cincinnati) (signed)
Round 5, No. 148 (from Patriots through Ravens): Noah Sewell, LB (Oregon) (signed)
Round 5, No. 165 (from Saints through Eagles): Terell Smith, CB (Minnesota) (signed)
Round 7, No. 218: Travis Bell, DT (Kennesaw State) (signed)
Round 7, No. 258: Kendall Williamson, S (Stanford) (signed)

Cincinnati Bengals

Round 1, No. 28: Myles Murphy, DE (Clemson) (signed)
Round 2, No. 60: DJ Turner, CB (Michigan) (signed)
Round 3, No. 95 (from Chiefs): Jordan Battle, S (Alabama) (signed)
Round 4, No. 131: Charlie Jones, WR (Purdue) (signed)
Round 5, No. 163: Chase Brown, RB (Illinois) (signed)
Round 6, No. 206: Andrei Iosivas, WR (Princeton) (signed)
Round 6, No. 217 (from Chiefs): Brad Robbins, P (Michigan) (signed)
Round 7, No. 246: DJ Ivey, CB (Miami) (signed)

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Patriots Acquire No. 112 From Jets, Select K Chad Ryland

April 29th, 2023 at 11:35am CST by Ben Levine

Two AFC East rivals have pulled off a trade. The Patriots have acquired pick No. 112 from the Jets. In exchange, New England is sending New York picks No. 120 and No. 184.

The Patriots are using their newfound pick on kicker Chad Ryland. The special teamer spent four years at Eastern Michigan, setting the school’s all-time record for scoring (309 points). He transferred to Maryland for the 2022 campaign and proceeded to earn second-team All-Big Ten honors after connecting on 19 of his 23 field goal attempts and 39 of his 40 extra point tries.

Ryland is now the second kicker to be selected in the top-112, joining Michigan’s Jake Moody, who was selected by the 49ers at No. 99.

Veteran Nick Folk has served as the Patriots kicker for the past three-plus seasons. He hit on 86.5 percent of his field goal tries last year, his lowest total since 2019. He inked a two-year, $5MM deal with the organization last March, and he’ll likely be part of a kicking competition in the preseason.

It’s not every day that you see the Patriots and Jets pull off a trade. Earlier this draft, some pundits suspected if Bill Belichick spited his former employer by pulling off a trade with the Steelers. Pittsburgh jumped ahead of the Jets in the first round and took the last top-rated offensive tackle in Broderick Jones, forcing the Jets to pivot to edge Will McDonald at No. 15.

Jets Re-Sign LS Thomas Hennessy

April 28th, 2023 at 6:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

In advance of the second day of this year’s draft kicking off, the Jets have taken care of some special teams business. Long snapper Thomas Hennessy has signed a four-year extension, as noted (on Twitter) by his agency. The deal includes the most guaranteed money at the position around the league (which was previously the case for Cowboys snapper Joe Cardona, at $2.6MM).

The 28-year-old joined the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2017, signing with the Colts. He was traded to the Jets later that offseason, though, and has remained in New York ever since. Hennessy has played in 98 games, making him the longest-tenure player on the team; he has yet to miss a contest during his career.

The Duke alum has been consistent during his time with the Jets, making multiple tackles in each season (and 20 in total). His track record in that department – and, more importantly, with respect to accurate snaps – has landed him another long-term extension. Hennessy inked a four-year, $4.4MM deal in 2019, and his level of play will allow him another, similar, pact.

The Jets re-signed kicker Greg Zuerlein last month, giving them familiarity at that position, as this Hennessy agreement will also do. New York reunited with veteran Thomas Morstead to handle punting duties, meaning their special teams battery is now in place for the 2023 campaign.

Jets, Aaron Rodgers Working Towards Restructured Contract

April 28th, 2023 at 4:32pm CST by Adam La Rose

The main takeaway from the Jets’ acquisition of Aaron Rodgers was, understandably, the draft capital they paid the Packers, and the impact he will have on New York’s Super Bowl aspirations. Another factor of interest, though, is Rodgers’ contract.

As of now, the Packers are set to incur a dead cap charge of just over $40MM, a far larger figure than the roughly $15MM he is scheduled to count against the Jets’ cap in 2023. A re-worked contract is the holdup to this blockbuster trade becoming official, and will no doubt have an effect on the way it is ultimately viewed. As Jets owner Woody Johnson recently stated, though, the price New York paid caused “zero” hesitation to sign off on the move.

ESPN’s Rich Cimini confirms that Rodgers’ agent, David Dunn, is still in the process of negotiating a new deal with the Jets. Doing so could provide much-needed clarity on how long the 39-year-old plans to play in the Big Apple, since he did not confirm his intention to continue his career beyond 2023.

On that point, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that the end result of negotiations could be a two-year Jets pact allowing Rodgers to receive the full compensation he is owed in 2023 and ’24. That figure sits at $108MM, as a result of the new deal he agreed to with the Packers last offseason; much of it is made up of the option bonus he was initially due to earn this season ($58.3MM). Florio adds that the bonus is now expected to be paid out next year.

Of course, committing to Rodgers over the next two campaigns will be a worthwhile investment on the Jets’ part if he can return to his pre-2022 form. New York has taken a number of steps aimed at making sure that takes place, including the addition of players on his reported ‘wish list.’ Before that point, though, the team had already hired ex-Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to guide their offense.

Hackett (who flamed out as the Broncos’ head coach in 2022 after struggling mightily to orchestrate a serviceable offense) has a long-standing relationship with Rodgers, something which should help the pair in their attempt to duplicate their success of years past. The latter, to no surprise, named the veteran coach as a factor in his decision to head to New York.

“A big reason I’m here, I gotta mention, is Nathaniel Hackett, who is here,” Rodgers said, via NBC Sports’ Ryan Taylor. “Hack and I became really close friends for three years in Green Bay. I love him like a brother. And I believe in him. And I’m really happy to be back working with him.”

Assuming a new contract is ironed out in the near future, Rodgers will be cleared to join his new team and officially begin the second chapter of his NFL career. The particulars, from a financial standpoint, could go a long way in determining the Jets’ ability to make any further moves in the post-draft portion of the offseason.

Jets Select Edge Will McDonald At No. 15

April 27th, 2023 at 9:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jets were believed to be looking to add an offensive lineman with the pick they acquired in the Aaron Rodgers trade. With all of their options off the board, the organization has pivoted to a defensive lineman. The Jets have used pick No. 15 on Iowa State defensive end Will McDonald.

Widely connected to tackles going into the draft, the Jets saw the Steelers hop in front of them — via a Patriots trade — to nab Broderick Jones. With a bit of a gulf between the top four O-linemen in this year’s class and the field, the Jets instead bolstered their pass rush by adding Iowa State’s all-time sack leader.

McDonald finished his Cyclones career with 34 sacks. All but one of those came over the past four seasons. The ex-Big 12 standout recorded two double-digit sacks seasons, showing impressive bend from his edge-rushing post. The Jets will be prepared to play him alongside the likes of Carl Lawson, John Franklin-Myers and 2022 first-rounder Jermaine Johnson.

This did not profile as a red-alert issue for the Jets, though Lawson’s three-year contract does expire after the 2023 season. The team’s more pressing tackle deficiency remains.

Mekhi Becton has played one game over the past two seasons, and Duane Brown is coming off surgery ahead of his age-38 season. Max Mitchell, a 2022 fourth-round pick, is coming off a season-ending blood-clot problem. While Mitchell is back in the fold, the Jets do not have surefire Rodgers protectors on either side. Three-year starter George Fant remains a free agent, and while the team could circle back to the veteran option — potentially after the May deadline for signings to count against the compensatory formula — the Jets will enter Day 2 of the draft with a glaring need.

Aaron Rodgers Not Committing To Playing Beyond 2023; QB Plans To Attend Jets OTAs

April 26th, 2023 at 11:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jets and Packers announced the Aaron Rodgers trade Wednesday, and the 19th-year veteran looks set to deviate from his previous 2020s offseasons.

Rodgers said he plans to be in the building Thursday and suggested he will be present for the Jets’ offseason workouts, via SNY’s Connor Hughes and NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter links). Rodgers did not attend voluntary Packers workouts in 2021 or ’22. Seeing as there were no onsite workouts during the spring and summer of 2020, it has been a bit since Rodgers last attended his team’s OTAs. Elaborating, Rodgers said he will attend “a lot” of the offseason program, via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini.

OTA attendance stands to matter less for Rodgers here compared to some other legendary QBs who changed teams. While Peyton Manning and Tom Brady were joining new offensive systems — schemes eventually tailored to the all-time greats’ preferences — Rodgers will follow new Jets OC Nathaniel Hackett to the Big Apple. While Hackett did not call plays in Green Bay, Rodgers has spoken highly of him. It is safe to expect Hackett to install the offense Matt LaFleur uses in Green Bay.

But Rodgers attending voluntary workouts will allow for time for him to develop a rapport with the non-Allen Lazard skill players on the Jets’ roster. It took Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson a while to be on the same page as Rodgers last season. It appears the relocating QB will make a change as he adjusts to the likes of Garrett Wilson, Mecole Hardman and the Jets’ tight end corps. Corey Davis, for now, also remains a Jet.

Expected spring attendance aside, Rodgers is not yet committing to playing beyond this season. The 15-year Packers starter did not shut down a 2024 return, via the Washington Post’s Mark Maske (Twitter link), but he will continue a year-to-year arrangement. Rodgers, 39, once sounded interested in playing into his 40s. In recent years, however, he had flirted with retirement.

This offseason, Rodgers admitted he was “90% retired” before his winter darkness retreat. Still, the four-time MVP hinted that playing into the mid-2020s was a possibility.

“The reason I take care of myself is because I’ve always dreamed about being a starter into my 40s,” Rodgers said Wednesday (via Cimini and the Green Bay Press-Gazette’s Ryan Wood). “I turn 40 later this year. I’m going to be here for the foreseeable future. … They definitely gave up some picks for me to be here, so this isn’t like one-and done in my mind.”

Although rumors indicated Rodgers’ potential return in 2024 could end up affecting the teams’ trade package, Monday’s agreement did not include any term fluctuation regarding the QB’s plans beyond this year. The only conditional component to the trade is Rodgers’ 2023 participation. If he plays at least 65% of the Jets’ offensive snaps this season, the 2024 pick exchanged will be upgraded to a first. If an injury prevents Rodgers from hitting that benchmark, the Packers will collect a second-rounder.

When the Jets went through a similar process with Brett Favre in 2008, the team ended up receiving just one season from Rodgers’ Packer predecessor. Favre retired for a second time, and the Jets released his rights. Language in the 2008 trade effectively prevented the Jets from trading Favre to the Vikings, his 2009 destination, and the team largely went with rookie-contract QBs for the next 15 years. Zach Wilson‘s performance over the past two seasons, however, changed the organization’s plans. Rodgers will be expected to make the Jets a Super Bowl contender in a loaded AFC.

More adjustments are coming to Rodgers’ contract, but Pelissero adds he did make a change to his deal that saved the Packers some cash. He signed a revised Green Bay deal Tuesday afternoon; the restructure pushes all but a minimum salary and a small workout bonus into 2024. The expected move will save the Pack $14.58MM in 2023 cap space (all Twitter links). The $58.3MM bonus converts to a 2024 base salary, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein (on Twitter). Rodgers’ three-year, $150.8MM deal now includes a $107.6MM payment in 2024; the Jets will obviously adjust that figure at some point. Rodgers still counts $40.3MM in Packers dead money, but Silverstein adds the NFC North team will be clear of Rodgers cap hits by 2024.

For those interested, Rodgers will wear No. 8 (his number at Cal) out of respect to Joe Namath, whose Jets No. 12 jersey is retired.

Jets Release RB Ty Johnson

April 26th, 2023 at 6:39pm CST by Ely Allen

Just over a month after re-signing running back Ty Johnson, the Jets will be releasing the offensive depth piece with a non-football injury designation, according to Field Yates of ESPN. This leaves just three running backs on New York’s roster, not counting fullback Nick Bawden.

Johnson joined the Jets near the beginning of the 2020 season after being waived by the Lions. A 104-yard rushing performance later in the season likely established Johnson as a midseason addition that would continue earning opportunities with the team. He ended the year as the team’s second-most productive rusher behind veteran Frank Gore. The next year, he would start three games as he competed for touches with then-rookie Michael Carter and Tevin Coleman.

Over his three seasons with New York, Johnson only averaged about 15 yards per game with 652 yards in 44 contests, but he delivered strong performances here and there even as he slid down the depth chart. He also developed more and more of a role on special teams as his opportunities on offense dwindled.

There were three backs on the roster with more rushing yards than Johnson in 2022, and all three are returning next year. The Jets rushing attack is expected to be led by a newly healthy Breece Hall in his second season. The room exudes youth right now as Zonovan Knight was also a rookie last season and Carter will enter his third NFL season in 2023.

Despite the consistency in the running backs room, the Jets offense is expected to look very different this year with Aaron Rodgers under center and throwing passes to new receivers Allen Lazard and Mecole Hardman. Second-year receiver Garrett Wilson and Corey Davis add to the roster consistency in 2023, but an expected step up from Wilson and Hall in their sophomore seasons could help the Jets to be quite formidable during Rodgers’s first year in town.

Jets Re-Sign C Connor McGovern

April 26th, 2023 at 10:52am CST by Adam La Rose

APRIL 26: McGovern, who signed a three-year deal worth $27MM in 2020, will be attached to a much cheaper Jets pact this season. Gang Green brought back its center on a one-year, $1.92MM deal, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic tweets. The Jets will guarantee the veteran snapper $1.25MM, and Rosenblatt adds no incentives are included in the contract.

APRIL 24: The Jets will have a familiar face in the middle of the offensive line in 2023. The team announced on Monday that they have re-signed center Connor McGovern.

The 29-year old began his career in Denver, where he showed the ability to play at both center and guard. He had an offer to remain in Denver, but it was withdrawn after they landed Graham Glasgow in free agency in 2020. That left McGovern free to head elsewhere, and he landed in New York on a three-year, $27MM deal.

Over the course of that contract, the former fifth-rounder has been a mainstay up front for the Jets, starting all 48 games he appeared in. That includes being on the field for every snap of the 2022 campaign, a feat not matched by any other lineman on the team, as the rest of New York’s group up front suffered a multitude of injuries. McGovern delivered a solid if unspectacular performance last season, earning an overall PFF grade of 69.6, the third-highest mark of his career.

In a free agent class featuring a few different experienced options up front – along with his namesake, who ultimately signed with the Bills last month – McGovern was expected to have a viable market from the Jets and other center-needy teams. The fact that he was still available this late into free agency demonstrates the degree to which that wasn’t the case, but a reunion with the Jets was always considered a logical development.

With McGovern in place, New York’s interior O-line is set with guards Laken Tomlinson and Alijah Vera-Tucker also on the books. The tackle spot could see an addition during the first round of this week’s draft, as the team looks to add more stability and depth up front after being hit hard by injuries last season. Regardless of whether or not they do so, though, they will have consistency and familiarity under center.

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