The New York Jets are in a rare position as they start gearing up for the 2024 NFL season – they are in “win-now” mode.

For a team that has not made the playoffs in 13 seasons, that is kind of a redundant saying, but they actually have the horses to win now. And I don’t just mean making it to the playoffs as a backdoor seven seed. I mean division winning, home playoff game having, Super Bowl contender win now mode.

Being in win-now mode means that most of the roster moves this offseason were band-aids to give yourselves the best possible chance to end the playoff drought and maybe, just maybe, bring home a Lombardi trophy. But just because you have a goal for 2024, doesn’t mean you can overlook 2025 and beyond.

So, with that being the mindset, let’s take a look at three players the Jets need to look to get under contract before they hit free agency.

Three Players Jets Need to Resign Soon

1- Michael Carter II, CB

The fact that the Jets let Carter get this close to free agency is mind-blowing to me. Every year that passes, Carter makes it clear that he is the best slot corner in the game and makes himself more and more money. ProFootball Focus has Carter as a top 10 corner in the game, not just at the slot position.

As the NFL has morphed more and more into a spread offense, a slot corner isn’t simply your third best corner hitting the field occasionally. He is a de facto starter on defense and the Jets have the best player at that position and would be stupid to let him go.

The Jets are going to be in a tricky spot with their corners in the coming years as both Carter and DJ Reed are set to hit free agency after the 2024 season and Sauce Gardner will be eligible for a contract extension next year as well. Sauce can be/should be/will be the highest paid corner in the league, especially after Saleh said he would travel with the opposition’s best wide receiver this year, which means the Jets likely won’t be able to sign all three guys. If it comes down to Michael Carter and D.J. Reed to stay with the team, I lean Carter.

Carter was drafted by the Jets in the fifth round out of Duke and is still only 25-years-old. While Reed is only three years older, he will also be more expensive as outside corner. If Joe Douglas can find a way to keep all three together, I would be all for it, but the market will likely price Reed out of remaining with the Jets.

2- Morgan Moses, OT

I recently wrote how the veteran tackle might be the lynch pin in the offense, provided the team stays relatively healthy and I the more I think about it, the more right I believe I was.

Moses is 33 years old, but he doesn’t miss a lot of time. He missed three games last season where he later revealed he had a torn pectoral muscle, an injury that sidelined many younger players for an entire season. Prior to that, he had not missed a game in his last eight seasons.

If Moses’ pec is healed, and he shows his durability hasn’t taken a hit, why wouldn’t the Jets bring him back on a short-term deal? For starters, we know they are regretting letting him walk last time, if not they wouldn’t have brought him back.

Secondly, with a team full of one-year contracts, you are going to need bodies. If Tyron Smith walks next year, you assume first-round pick Olu Fashanu will take his place. But what about Moses? Chuck Clark? Mike Williams? Ashtyn Davis? Dare I say, Aaron Rodgers?

At some point, there simply isn’t enough draft capital to replace all these players with viable alternatives. Moses is a guy, going into this year, that I would feel comfortable giving a short extension to in order to buy the team another year to get the rest of the team in order.

3– Ashtyn Davis, S

This guy makes plays. Simple. And you shouldn’t let that walk out the door.

Ashtyn Davis was ready to walk in free agency this past offseason, but a little coxing from Robert Saleh got him to stay on a one year deal.

Davis, who was a third-round pick in 2020, was originally thought of as a bust. A tremendous athlete but couldn’t seem to put it together on the field. There was talk last season that Davis might not even make the 53-man roster out of camp, but after the injury to Chuck Clark, he solidified a roster spot.

Since then, Davis has turned himself into a guy who not only excels on special teams, something that will be huge with the new rules going into effect this season, but as a guy who makes plays when the Jets need it. He is constantly around the ball. He was number one in the NFL last season in turnover percentage (four in just 121 defensive snaps).

The Jets top three safeties are all free agents after this season, so resigning one would be beneficial because it would keep some continuity along a defensive backfield that will likely be undergoing some changes next season.

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The Jets are going to have to shell out a lot of money in the next few seasons as many of their star players have expiring rookie contracts. It would help ease the burden if they were able to get a few extended now, before the well dries up.

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