The New York Jets made the controversial decision to trade defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers to the Denver Broncos last week in return for a meagre 2026 sixth-round pick.
Many people believe the Jets traded up Franklin-Myers, a reliable defensive starter, in exchange for nothing. That choice appears to be even worse in light of Franklin-Myers’ subsequent social media revelation.
Following the transaction, the Broncos reached a new agreement with Franklin-Myers that will pay him $15 million over two years. That’s an AAV of only $7.5 million, including a meagre $5 million cap charge in 2024.
One would assume the Jets, who still have plenty of financial freedom, would be able to make it work. According to Franklin-Myers, the team did not worry at all.
The New York Jets made a critical blunder with the John Franklin-Myers transaction.
Franklin-Myers stated on social media that the Jets “didn’t offer [him] anything close” to the highly team-friendly contract he signed with the Broncos. This raises further questions about the Jets’ decision to make this move.
The Jets are seeking to sell the idea that they had to make this move for financial reasons. It is what the organization has stated publicly, and it is certainly what reports from people within the facility indicate.
Regardless of how much they insist, the Jets did not need to trade Franklin-Myers. Before the move, the organization had approximately $3-4 million in cap space. It’s not like they had their backs against the wall.
There were also numerous options available to the Jets that would not have had a huge influence on their defence. Indeed, agreeing to a contract identical to Denver’s would have achieved the same result.
The Jets have a number of players they could restructure, a number of players they could extend, and, like the Broncos, they could have renegotiated Franklin-Myers’ contract (with a salary cut).
Not to mention, the Jets’ previous defensive line signings this summer have added to their tight cap situation. They paid Javon Kinlaw twice what Quinton Jefferson received in free agency. They let Bryce Huff walk and traded for Haason Reddick, who will now have to replace both Huff and JFM.
The Jets could have kept Franklin-Myers, but they didn’t want to. That is it. The narrative should not be that the Jets couldn’t afford Franklin-Myers, because they could have easily done so. They didn’t think he was worth it. The Jets consider him a replaceable player.
This is despite the fact that Franklin-Myers led the club in quarterback hits and had 50 pressures last season. He had a higher pressure rate than Jermaine Johnson and was one of the Jets’ top run defenders.
That is not an easy guy to replace, and there is currently no one on the roster who can fill his job. Micheal Clemons, who was quietly awful last season, isn’t providing that kind of output. Will McDonald is unlikely to provide that level of production or variety.
The Jets underestimate Franklin-Myers’ value and impact on defence. That is the story here.
You can disagree with that. You can believe he is a replaceable player, and moving him for nothing was the correct decision.
But what is undeniable is that the Jets did not have to do this. They were not forced to make this decision. The Jets decided to trade Franklin-Myers because they did not believe he was worth it.
That has been made clearly apparent.
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