New York Jets: NFL Nation Bold Prediction Of Offseason

The bold prediction for the New York Jets in the offseason is to sign free agent safety Tony Jefferson away from the Arizona Cardinals.

The New York Jets have an important offseason on the horizon. There will be a lot of jobs at stake this season as the Jets need to show major improvement on the field. The easiest way to improve on the field is to add talent in the offseason via the NFL Draft or free agency.

The Jets were very successful in free agency in 2015. Mike Maccagnan and Todd Bowles were in their first season together and Maccagnan had a ton of money to spend. They were able to turn the Jets into a 10 win team their first season together, falling just short of the postseason.

In 2016 they took some major steps back. With an aging roster that was beginning to crumble the Jets managed only five wins. The veteran movement did not pan out for the Jets and they will now be tasked with rebuilding a roster void of many building blocks.

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The Jets have basically been ushering out an era the past few offseasons. Long-time Jets D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Nick Mangold, Darrelle Revis, and Nick Folk have either retired or been cut within the last calendar year. The Jets made other moves already this offseason and have opened up some salary cap room to spend this season.

The Jets have a lot of needs, but their goal should be clear. They need to add young talent to help build the foundation of the roster. The Jets do not yet have a quarterback of the future, but they can build up the rest of the roster to put the team in a position to be competitive.

The Jets need to improve their defense. It was a major letdown in 2016 as Bowles is a defensive minded guy but they team consistently fell short on that side of the ball.

Over at ESPN, they compiled a list of bold predictions for the every team in the AFC. Aaron Schatz, the correspondent for the AFC East, predicted that the Jets will sign safety Tony Jefferson.

Jefferson has spent the first four seasons of his career with the Arizona Cardinals. Jefferson will have some familiarity with the Jets coaching staff as he worked under Bowles when he was with the Cardinals. That is one reason he would be a logical choice for the Jets, but his youth and production would also be helpful.

Here is part of what Schatz had to say about his bold prediction of Jefferson signing with the Jets.

"Jefferson just turned 25 in December and has familiarity with coach Todd Bowles’ system from their days in Arizona. Spending big in free agency won’t be the primary avenue general manager Mike Maccagnan takes to rebuild the roster. However, Jefferson shouldn’t be too cost-prohibitive, and his youth and experience in Bowles’ defense makes him a potential cornerstone for New York."

The Jets need an overhaul in their secondary; the release of Revis was the first step. The Jets have received underwhelming play from the safety position, as Calvin Pryor has really lived up to his pedigree of a first-round draft pick and Marcus Gilchrist availability is in question after suffering a patellar tendon injury near the end of the 2016 season.

As Schatz points out, Jefferson is still young at only 25 years old. He is extremely versatile, as Schatz said that he can play in the box, slot corner or as a deep safety. The question for the Jets is how expensive will he get?

Signing a player such as Jefferson would be more of a luxury for a team like the Jets. They have more pressing needs that need to be filled; handing out a long-term big money deal, if that is what it comes down to, is probably not in their plans.

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Jefferson won’t break the bank like Eric Berry did with his agreed to contract extension with the Kansas City Chiefs, but he should find a robust market. He is one of the best free agents available this season, and arguably the second best safety. Can the Jets afford to get into that type of bidding market?

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