The Jets have some talent and depth issues heading into the first season under new coach Aaron Glenn and new general manager Darren Mougey.
The new guys in charge vowed to produce a more competitive team starting this fall. But on paper, the roster looks … not as good. With the bulk of free agency already behind us and less than 30 days before the NFL Draft, the Jets don’t are short enough on talent that they don’t have proven starters for multiple positions including on the offensive line, defensive line, and at tight end and wide receiver.
It’s less than ideal. But an AFC rival on Tuesday made a deal that should remind all Jets fans that things could be, and have been, far worse for the Jets than a few holes on the roster.
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The Patriots signed former Bills and Texans receiver Stefon Diggs to a three-year, $69 million deal. If that seems like a lot of money to pay for a 31-year-old receiver who has regressed and is coming off a torn ACL less than a year ago, you’re right: the Patriots are paying Diggs only $26 million in guarantees over the contract.
But make no mistake, no matter how many Patriots fans celebrate the move as “steal,” it’s a massive overpay given Diggs’ recent performance and injuries not to mention his reputation for not being the best guy to deal with in the locker room.
A year ago, or five years ago, this would have been the moment the Jets went out and signed a guy like Diggs, because they had enough money to do it and it would quiet some of the criticism about their lack of upgrades in free agency.
Adding a player like Diggs might have tipped the way some fans viewed this offseason, which has been frustrating for it’s lack of known upgrades. But with Diggs or without, the receiver room would have had real issues to deal with that Diggs alone couldn’t fix.
It’s telling that Diggs’ two previous teams, the Texans and the Bills, never seemed to seriously get involved in the sweepstakes for Diggs, even though both are contenders and could have used him.
The Jets will still have to solve those issues at receiver and elsewhere, and there’s no guarantee that their decision will work out better than New England’s on this front. But It’s a change of operating procedure and given how the Jets have been operating in recent years, that can’t’ be a bad thing.
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Andy Vasquez may be reached at avasquez@njadvancemedia.com.