John Idzik: Offseason Review

Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

After hiring John Idzik from the Seattle Seahawks, many Jets fans had high hopes for his success after seeing what he did with the Seattle Seahawks. However, a relatively disappointing offseason for the New York Jets has produced concerns in the minds of Jets’ administration and fans alike.

John Idzik has expressed interest in several free agents this offseason, although his slow moving pace and lack of urgency has prevented the Jets from signing a number of these players. Since the NFL Free Agency has begun, the Jets have only signed three new players: WR Eric Decker, OT Breno Giacomini, and QB Michael Vick. Although these are all very impactful signings, the Jets still have several roster needs and they have the cap room to possibly make these moves. Unfortunately, John “The Glacier” Idzik has been unable to sign several players that he has pursued.

John Idzik and the Jets have pursued several big name players including RB Maurice Jones-Drew, TE Brandon Pettigrew, OG Jon Asamoah, CB Alterraun Verner, CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, S Donte Whitner, and several more. However, Idzik has failed to sign any of the aforementioned players, and one by one we have seen all of these top free agents sign with different teams.

Just recently, the Jets’ interest has been captivated by free agent WR DeSean Jackson. However, yet again it seems that John Idzik has been dragging his feet with the pursuit of Jackson, and it seems that the Jets are slowly falling out of contention for the wide receiver.

With the majority of free agents off the market, time for the Jets to make a final splash is quickly running out. It seems that the last game-changing player the Jets could acquire is RB Chris Johnson, who is being shopped by the Tennessee Titans. After failing to sign Maurice Jones-Drew, it would be assumed that the Jets would attempt to pursue CJ2K. The Jets need a solid running back to compliment the injury-prone Chris Ivory, and Johnson is the best available option. Will ‘The Glacier” hesitate on this potential acquisition as well?

Before any Jets fans start criticizing Idzik for his lack of free agency success, keep in mind that the NFL Draft is just over a month away, which is Idzik’s forte. In his six year tenure with the Seahawks, Idzik drafted several gems in all rounds of the draft, including C Max Unger (2nd round), OT Russel Okung (1st round), S Earl Thomas (1st round), WR Golden Tate (2nd round), CB Walter Thurmond III (4th round), S Kam Chancellor (5th round), CB Richard Sherman (5th round), LB Bobby Wagner (2nd round) QB Russell Wilson (3rd round), and Super Bowl XLVIII MVP Malcolm Smith in the 7th round of the 2011 draft.

With 12 draft picks this year for the New York Jets, John Idzik will have a field day scouting potential late round steals such as several of the players listed above. Based on Idzik’s history, this draft has the potential to be one of the best drafts in New York Jets history.

There is no denying that free agency has been a frustrating occasion for several Jets fans. However, before you start blaming John Idzik for not being able to sign many of the players we would have hoped to acquire, remember that the NFL Draft is just 39 days away: a chance for Idzik to build up the team for years to come.