New York Jets: Reaction To ESPN Re-Grading 2016 Offseason
The New York Jets did not fare as well in the ESPN re-grading of the 2016 offseason as they did in the original grading.
The New York Jets had a very disappointing 2016 season. They finished the year 5-11, crashing back to Earth after a strong 2015 campaign. A big reason for the lack of success was offseason moves not panning out.
The Jets won 10 games in 2015, just missing the postseason. They had hoped to build on that success; instead, they took plenty of steps backward. The Ryan Fitzpatrick contract dispute set a bad tone during the offseason and it carried through the regular season.
The Jets resembled a bit of a circus. They had a carousel at quarterback as Fitzpatrick was benched twice during the season. Both times he found his way back into the starting lineup as Geno Smith and Bryce Petty were both injured and lost for the season.
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One player missing from that group is second round pick Christian Hackenberg. Hackenberg never got on the field his rookie season and there are some strong opinions about the Jets second rounder.
Hackenberg was a disaster during the preseason and it was probably best to not let him see the field. He was one of many decisions the Jets made last season that did not pan out.
That is why the Jets 2016 offseason grade was lowered in the re-grade by ESPN. Last May the Jets received a B-; looking back on the moves with the 2016 regular season behind us and now the Jets have received a C-.
Here is what they had to say about the Jets’ offseason graded being dropped by a whole letter grade; only five teams received a worse mark in the re-grade than the Jets did.
"Second-round rookie Christian Hackenberg completed 17 of 47 passes with two picks during the preseason and understandably never saw the field again. First-rounder Darron Lee played and struggled in coverage, which did not make him unique among Jets linebackers.Free-agent addition Jarvis Jenkins provided little and was released despite a $3 million guarantee. The $4 million in 2017 guaranteed money for Matt Forte appears burdensome now after he averaged just 3.7 yards per carry in his age-31 season. Trade acquisition Ryan Clady provided eight starts before landing on injured reserve.These did not seem like terrible moves at the time, but whatever could go wrong seemed to go wrong for the Jets, starting with Fitzpatrick’s Week 17 implosion last season and the contract impasse that followed."
That last paragraph just about sums it up. The Jets made roster decisions hoping to push the team to the next level, and instead, they backfired and the team cratered.
Mike Sando, the author of the piece, does not even mention the disaster that Muhammad Wilkerson was after receiving a huge contract extension. Wilkerson signed a five-year, $85 million deal with $53 million guaranteed.
For their investment, the Jets received arguably the worst season in Wilkerson’s career. Wilkerson battled an ankle injury, but his production fell off a cliff as he recorded only 4.5 sacks and 58 tackles.
That, along with Fitzpatrick, would only be the beginning of the Jets offseason woes. As Sando writes, Forte looks to have been a poor investment. But, at least he is still on the roster as Jarvis Jenkins lasted only nine games, giving the Jets a whole seven tackles for their $3 million.
Next: New York Jets: Nolan Rich's 2017 Mock Draft (1.0)
Mike Maccagnan and company need to hit with a higher success rate this offseason. If they don’t, there could be someone else heading the charge at this time in 2018.