Mike Maccagnan is like one of those contractors on an HGTV show fixing up a house.
Last week, the Jets general manager took a sledgehammer to the Jets’ roster, cutting several high-priced, aging veterans. This week, the remodeling begins.
Teams can begin to negotiate with free agents on Tuesday and sign them at 4 p.m. on Thursday. After the cuts of Darrelle Revis, Brandon Marshall, Nick Mangold and the other veterans, the Jets have about $33 million in salary cap space as free agency begins.
“Some of the moves we made hopefully will free up resources and salary-cap space and money to go add pieces and parts to make us a better team,” Maccagnan said last week. “We’re not doing this to try to make ourselves a worse team.”
Though some have suggested the Jets might be tanking the 2017 season, that is not the case. They will be active in free agency, trying to fill the holes on their roster, which are plentiful.
Maccagnan was listing some of the team’s needs last week – quarterback, left tackle, tight end, pass rushers, cornerbacks – when he stopped himself and joked, “It’s going to be a very depressing laundry list.”
The Jets have holes all over their roster after a 5-11 season and the resulting cuts. The most obvious place to start is at quarterback. The Jets do not believe Bryce Petty or Christian Hackenberg is ready to start the season as their No. 1 quarterback.
“All options are on the table. We’re going to do everything possible to make every position competitive in particular that position whether it’s pro free agency or the college draft,” Maccagnan said. “We do like our two young quarterbacks, but they’re both young and they both have to go out there and earn whatever position they may eventually have on the team.”
While Maccagnan left the draft as an option, coach Todd Bowles made it sound like the Jets would prefer to sign a veteran free agent if they can.
“We’re looking into it. I can’t say we will or we won’t,” Bowles said. “Once free agency starts, I don’t know what’s going to happen, things might get crazy. But we have our eye on a few people.”
There are no easy answers at the position in free agency, though. The top free-agent quarterback is Tampa Bay’s Mike Glennon, and the Jets are interested. He has only started 18 games and none since 2014. He lost his starting job to Josh McCown in 2014 and then backed up Jameis Winston over the past two years. Still, there are reports he could get $15 million a year because the quarterback market is so barren.
The Cowboys could cut Tony Romo loose, but he does not really fit the Jets’ model right now. And why would he want to play for a rebuilding team? Another name to keep an eye on is Tyrod Taylor. The Bills might cut him before Saturday, when they would have to pick up a $30 million option on his contract. If he becomes free, the Jets surely will have interest, but the money again might be too steep. The Browns are expected to be all over Taylor and they have more than $100 million in salary-cap space.
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The other top position of need for the Jets is cornerback. With the release of Revis, the Jets have Buster Skrine and Marcus Williams as their top cornerbacks. Houston’s A.J. Bouye is considered the top cornerback on the market, and the Jets are expected to be among his suitors. Stephon Gilmore and Logan Ryan are the other top corners.
“In pro free agency, there are a number of corners out there this year,” Maccagnan said. “And some people would debate if they’re No. 1, 2, or 3 caliber corners. But there is a volume. … There are some good corners in pro free agency. The flip side of that, as people realize, is you have to pay a premium for that position, since they’re highly sought after.”
