New York Jets free agency preview

Will the New York Jets be able to land game-changing free-agent acquisitions? Free agency officially kicks off on March 13 with the new league year. The legal tampering period begins March 11, which means teams are allowed to negotiate with free agents.

According to Over the Cap, the Jets enter free agency with roughly $20 million after resigning safety Chuck Clark and tight end Kenny Yeboah and adding Isaiah Oliver to the cornerback room. What will they do with the rest of their money to try to put a winning team on the field next season?

According to SNY's NFL Insider for the Jets, Connor Hughes, the Jets are not expected to be big spenders in free agency. General Manager Joe Douglas is likely to stick to his formula of making calculated signings and finding the best value.

The Jets are not a team without holes, though; they need better offensive line play to protect their 40-year-old star quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers is coming off a season-ending injury after tearing his Achilles tendon.

They need more productive wide receivers to help Garrett Wilson, who was the only wide receiver on the team with more than 400 receiving yards. Tyler Conklin, a tight end, and Breece Hall, a running back, were second and third on the team in receiving. It is hard to have a productive offense with those kinds of stats.

They need to add a wide receiver who can produce for them and a new backup quarterback. However, not everything should fall on the shoulders of Zach Wilson for the underwhelming season. His play at quarterback was still nowhere near good enough to be a serious contending playoff team. With rumors also looming of his potential departure from the team, they will need to add a second-string quarterback regardless.

The Jets have an opportunity to fill holes in free agency to help Rodgers and the team try to have a championship-caliber year. The draft is also important for them to try to fill the holes, but for now, let's talk about potential free agents the Jets could sign.

Mike Onwenu

Onwenu, a starting guard for the New England Patriots, is set to hit free agency as a player many teams will be interested in. He should get a big contract from some team. Reports have it that Onwenu is looking to be paid as a tackle, which, in the Jets' case, is perfectly fine because they need both guards and tackles. Onwenu is only 26 years old and can play both tackle and guard.

They should try their hardest to get him. He will cost a lot of money, but any starting-caliber linemen will cost a good fortune. If the Jets want to fix their line, they will need to pay up. Onwenu is a caliber player worth paying for, and it would be a bonus for them to steal him away from their rivals.

Robert Hunt

Hunt is a starting guard for the Miami Dolphins. If you notice the theme here, the Jets should be attacking the linemen market early. If you cannot land Onwenu, Hunt is another valuable player for the Jets to get. He is 27 years old and can play both guard and tackle well. It would be a huge deal if the Jets could land a versatile lineman who can play both positions, as the Jets have had trouble with both.

Hunt will also have a big market in free agency, with many teams interested in landing him. If the Jets could be that team to land him, it would be game-changing for their offensive line and would put them in the right direction to have a competent offensive line to protect Rodgers. The Jets will have the draft to address their line as well, but if they can land one of these two players, that would be remarkably successful free agency.

Tyler Boyd

Moving to wide receiver, Tyler Boyd would be a sneaky good signing for the Jets. The Jets should focus on spending most of their money on getting one of the better linemen, which means a player like Calvin Ridley is probably not doable with the money he will command. Boyd would be a terrific value signing for the Jets, who should cost around the $10 to $12 million range.

Boyd, who has played for the Cincinnati Bengals for his entire eight-season career, had 667 yards with 67 receptions last season on a team where he was the third wide receiver behind Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Those numbers would have been second-best on the Jets. The Jets, in previous off-seasons under Douglas, have signed Corey Davis for three years, $37.5 million, and Allen Lazard for four years, $44 million. Boyd's value seems right up that alley, so that is someone Douglas could have his eyes on.

Gardner Minshew

As far as who to bring in to backup Rodgers, Gardner Minshew makes a ton of sense here. He has tons of starting experience playing in Jacksonville, Philadelphia, and, most recently, Indianapolis. Last season, Minshew started in 13 games for the Colts, leading them to a 7-6 record. He had 15 touchdowns and 3,305 yards passing.

Minshew has shown himself to be a quality starter for teams, but he probably will not land anywhere this offseason to be the starter. So, with that in mind, he would be a fantastic addition for the Jets if Rodgers were to go down to injury again. The Jets cannot go into another season with subpar quarterback play. They need a guy behind Rodgers who has shown he can play good football. Minshew has done that in his career, and it should not have cost that much money, either. This is an easy decision for the Jets to make.

Bryce Huff

Lastly, this isn't a new acquisition but someone they should not let leave the organization. Bryce Huff is a home-grown talent who broke out for the team. He had a good 2023 season with a team-leading ten sacks. Letting home-grown talent who broke out for you walk in free agency is not a good look for an organization.

Especially since Huff is only 25 years old and was such a crucial part of your defense, Huff should command a lot of money, which he deserves, but the Jets should be the ones paying him. Reports have it that the Jets are unlikely to bring Huff back, which is a mistake. The Jets should do anything in their power not to let Huff walk in free agency.