New York Jets Rumors: Interest In Dont’a Hightower Legitimate
Recent New York Jets rumors revolve around free agent linebacker Dont’a Hightower.
New York Jets rumors have begun to pick up in recent days. The Jets aren’t an ideal landing spot for marquee free agents given the state of the franchise. But, that has not stopped them from trying as money can convince people to do a lot of things.
One of those players is Dont’a Hightower. The free agent linebacker formerly of the New England Patriots has been met with a colder than anticipated market. That has opened the door for a team like the Jets.
The Jets met with Hightower this past weekend and reportedly emerged as a leading candidate to sign him. Hightower also met with the Pittsburgh Steelers according to Adam Schefter, and the Tennessee Titans earlier in free agency.
There was a sense that the meeting was just to try and drive the price up from the Patriots, but that may not have been the case. But, that may not have been the case.
According to Jason La Canfora, the Jets interest in Hightower is serious and they cannot be overlooked.
The Jets interest in Dont'a Hightower cannot be overstated. Steelers won't make a massive offer. Pats still keeping a close eye
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) March 14, 2017
The Jets’ interest originally wasn’t looked at as anything more than a negotiating ploy by Hightower, but that may have been overstated. The Jets interest in Hightower seems legitimate, and he would be an interesting signing.
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For starters, they Jets would weaken the mighty Patriots. New England traded away Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins but held onto Hightower. It is fair to think they had the most confidence in retaining Hightower in free agency, as he didn’t even have the franchise tag placed on him. Stealing Hightower away would not only weaken the Patriots but improve the Jets.
On the field, the Jets need help at linebacker. Hightower would give them a leader to replace David Harris. He would instantly upgrade their linebackers group. Hightower would also bring some stability to a locker room in need of a makeover from recent seasons.
The question is, do the Jets really need Hightower? Yes, he would improve the defense, but is he a good fit? The Jets are in a clear rebuild, so hanging out a big money, long-term deal to a player would seem to make little sense. Hightower has battled some injury woes in his career as well, missing at least three games in three consecutive seasons.
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The Jets have also committed some assets to the linebacker position recently, selecting Darron Lee with their first round pick and a third round pick on Jordan Jenkins. While there are positives to bringing Hightower aboard, the negatives would seem to outweigh them in this situation.