The New York Jets are putting all their chips on the table with Aaron Rodgers in 2024.
The organization truly believes if the former All-Pro QB and NFL MVP is healthy, they have a roster that can compete with anyone in the NFL.
Much of that confidence comes on the defensive side of the ball, where there are young playmakers at nearly every position that can make life hard for opposing offensive coordinators.
Earlier today, the New York Jets lost one of their top pass rushers when Bryce Huff inked a massive deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Huff never felt like the Jets truly wanted to keep him. The organization didn’t present Huff or his agents with any contract offers during the 2023 season, even as he started to break out and become an impactful pass rusher at 25 years old. They let him hit free agency without putting up much of a fight, and Monday he agreed to a three-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. Team sources confirmed to The Athletic the deal is worth a maximum of $51.1 million.
Huff finished the 2023 season with 10 sacks, 21 QB hits and 67 total pressures despite playing only 42 percent of the defensive snaps. Huff might have the quickest burst off the line of any edge rusher in the NFL, and he developed over four years from joining the New York Jets as an undrafted rookie in 2020 into a fully formed force to be reckoned with in the pass rush. The team deserves credit for developing him into a player who earned a big contract in free agency — but also questions for letting another team sign him. Douglas said at the NFL combine the Jets would let Huff test free agency. So Huff did, and he was met with a robust market.
On one hand, it’s not difficult to understand the Jets’ thought process. They theoretically have good depth at defensive end with a Pro Bowler (Jermaine Johnson) and solid veteran (John Franklin-Myers), plus a rotational player in Micheal Clemons, whom Jets coaches value. They also just used a first-round pick on McDonald a year ago and by letting Huff go, it means they are banking on McDonald filling that hole in the pass rush. Jets coach Robert Saleh has said he believes McDonald has superstar potential, but they don’t even need him to be a superstar — they just need him to replace Huff. That, however, is asking a lot of a player who played the fewest snaps of any first-round pick last year (184 defensive snaps) and has a lot to prove.
Overall, the Jets defensive line — anchored by Quinnen Williams — is one of the team’s biggest strengths. The emergence of Clemons helps, but they are in need of a young, emerging defensive linemen they can get on a team-friendly deal who can stop the run and also get to the quarterback.
On Monday night, they landed the exact player they needed.
New York Jets Ink Deal With San Francisco 49ers DL Javon Kinlaw
The 49ers selected Kinlaw in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft and although he looked like an instant playmaker coming out of South Carolina, he’s battled injuries and hasn’t lived up to the hype on a 49ers defense loaded with talent.
On 29 April 2023, the 49ers declined the fifth-year option of Kinlaw’s rookie contract, making him a free agent in the 2024 offseason. In the 2023 season, Kinlaw appeared in all 17 games and started six. He finished with 3.5 sacks, 25 total tackles, and three passes defended.
Why does the addition of Javon Kinlaw make sense for the New York Jets?
After battling injuries and not able to finish a season the first three yers of his career, the former San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle is coming off his best NFL season and appears to be a player peaking.
Kinlaw prepared his body differently for the 2023 season to help him make it through the long grind of an NFL schedule. He changed his diet and added exercises to improve his body mechanics.
The approach paid off with Kinlaw appearing in all 20 games, including the playoffs. He set career-highs in quarterback hits (six), tackles for loss (four) and sacks (3.5) during the regular season.
While there are plenty of reasons to be concerned about Javon Kinlaw’s durability, his performance last season does offer hope for what he can do in the future. He’s only 26 years old and has first-round draft pedigree.
The New York Jets are banking on Kinlaw being able to continue doing what he did for the San Francisco 49ers in 2023, while possibly adding new wrinkles to his game to become even better as he enters his prime years.