Jets 2025 Mock Offseason: Predicting the team's free agent signings, trades, and draft picks after what we learned at the NFL Combine
The New York Jets have a major offseason ahead of them in order to pull this team out of the depths and resurge during Aaron Glenn's first season as head coach. After hearing from new general manager Darren Mougey and Glenn last week at the 2025 NFL Combine, it's clear this team is looking to […]
The New York Jets have a major offseason ahead of them in order to pull this team out of the depths and resurge during Aaron Glenn's first season as head coach.
After hearing from new general manager Darren Mougey and Glenn last week at the 2025 NFL Combine, it's clear this team is looking to reshape the Jets off a disastrous 2024 season.
That being said, I took some of what we learned last week at the Combine and laid out an offseason roadmap, if you will, for the Jets upcoming weeks.
Jets 2025 Mock Offseason
For this mock offseason, I included potential trades, extensions, re-signings, free agent signings, and potential draft selections. Each decision will include a contract projection, along with a Year One cap hit in order to make sure things stay within the Jets' current effective salary cap ceiling of $45,623,600, per OverTheCap, but that doesn't include the $5 million cap hit that Jamien Sherwood's new deal represents. That figure comes after factoring the Jets’ latest free agent moves and deducting the projected cost of the draft class, which is $5,737,486.
We'll go ahead and deduct $4 million for in-season "operating money", such as signing new players after another gets hurt and scenarios of that nature. Finally, we'll take out another $5 million to pay for a full-length, fully-rostered 17-man practice squad – that makes $9 million, in all. Therefore, the Jets have $37,623,600 in cap space they can use.
Releases
The name of the game this year is getting the roster right for 2026 and beyond. The Jets are going to have a lot of dead cap on the books. Releasing or (or trading) Allen Lazard along with Aaron Rodgers and C.J Mosley will create $20,132,000 in cap space with Rodgers and Mosely as post-June 1 cuts. That gives the Jets $55,745,600 in cap space.
Trades
TE Michael Mayer – 2025 6th-Round Pick
I don’t see a reason to give up any real future assets from this team and I don’t believe the Jets should be aching for more short-term fixes. The best thing they can do is clear the books as much as possible in 2025 and go all-in on 2026. That being said, here is one trade I think they should consider.
The Jets reportedly coveted Mayer before the 2023 NFL draft and now is their chance to grab him after the Las Vegas Raiders found a super star at the position in Brock Bowers. The Jets will likely lose Tyler Conklin in free agency and I don’t think they should spend big money on Juwan Johnson.
2025 Cap Hit: $1,596,694 million
Extensions / Re-signings
Extend WR Garrett Wilson – 5-year, $170 million ($30 million signing bonus)
It’s time to show the young players you want them here and you want to win with them. Garrett Wilson is one of the best young receivers in the game and he earned every dollar the Jets should pay him. I originally had his contract i comparable to DJ Moore on AVV basis but after DK Metcalf's massive deal, I had to adjust the numbers.
Wilson gets a bump in pay his first year and the Jets get some stability at a position that they haven’t had any for decades. The Jets need to get this deal done as the price goes up every year they don't. Wilson is the most important member of the Jets offense until they find a quarterback and he needs to be paid as such.
2025 Cap Hit: $14.539 million
Extend CB Sauce Gardner – 4-years, $100 million ($30 million signing bonus)
You get the picture? This season isn’t about 2025. It’s about 2026 and beyond. Lock up your two best player long term and stop the ship from sinking like it has been for 14 years. Sauce is easily one of the best young defenders in the game and it is time to show him that. Sauce gets a deal that beats Pat Surtain, who the Denver Broncos signed to an extension this year. Like Wilson, the Jets should get this done sooner rather than later so the price doesn't continue to rise on them.
2025 Cap Hit: $22,143,436 million
Re-sign OT Morgan Moses – 2-year $4 million ($1 million signing bonus)
In a thin OT market, the Jets can do a lot worse than Moses. He is a veteran leader and a great locker room guy. With a mostly young offensive line, having Moses on the right side for the short term is an easy decision. It gives the Jets some flexibility in the draft along the offensive line and to focus their attention elsewhere.
2025 Cap Hit: $1.355 million
Re-sign CB Brandin Echols, S Ashtyn Davis, S Tony Adams, DL Solomon Thomas
I wouldn’t expect any of these guys to make a lot of money on the free agent market, but I think they could all be good role players for the Jets. I never understood how the organization cooled on Brandin Echols so fast after he was a starter prior to the arrivals of Sauce and D.J. Reed. Echols plays really well in spot duty and with the likely departure of Reed, Echols could easily be the Jets number two corner.
Davis is a playmaker who doesn’t really belong in the starting lineup, but can make things happen when he is on the field. He had a down year last season, but so did everyone else on the team.
The Jets are going to see five safeties hit free agency this offseason and I think Adams is the guy I would most like to bring back. He is good enough to start if the Jets don’t get a decent replacement, but not so good that it would stop you from bringing in someone better should the opportunity arise.
Solomon Thomas has been the Jets nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award the last two seasons and is a fantastic locker room guy. He is a rotational player along the defensive line and a good one at that. No reason not to bring him back as long as it isn’t to start.
These guys shouldn't cost more than a combined $18 million against the cap in 2025.
Main Free Agent Signings
S Justin Reid – 3-year, $48 million (includes $16 million signing bonus)
The Jets have no true safeties currently on the roster and aren’t letting any really good ones go. Reid is a tone-setting tackler, vocal leader, and someone anyone should want on their football team. Will he ever lead the league in statistical categories for safety? Probably not. But he's going to give you mistake-free football snap-to-snap and game-to-game, which can really help to stabilize a defensive secondary.
Reid has a championship pedigree and can bring some stability for a position that has been in flux for the team for the last few seasons. I think Reid could be a driving force in new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks’ defense.
I expect Reid to be the only name the Jets really pursue aggressively in the first wave of free agency. Look for them to go bargain shopping after the bigger names come off the board.
2025 Cap Hit: $6.455 million
QB Jameis Winston – 2-years, $13 million (plus play incentives that can bring the total to $18 million)
This can’t be the answer you were looking for at quarterback, but I’m afraid this is the best you are going to get. The Jets can’t give up the future to move up for Cam Ward (or Shedeur Sanders) and there isn’t another option available that I would think is worth the price. I am not a fan of Justin Fields and I believe he will wind up back with the Pittsburgh Steelers anyway. Don’t expect Sam Darnold to want to return after he was ruthlessly cast out by the team and fans.
The Jets believe enough in Tyrod Taylor to let him be the bridge quarterback if no other options become available. Winston would come in as a high-end back up considering Taylor’s injury history and age.
This is another low-risk move that won’t hurt the Jets from pouncing on any other better option if it becomes available. In a bad QB market and worse QB draft class, the last thing you want to do is lock yourself into a bad option. Maybe, just maybe, the Jets find the key to eliminating Winston’s turnovers and he can become a viable starter. Plus, we get Jameis Winston press conferences which is always fun.
2025 Cap Hit: $5 million
DE John Cominsky – 2-years, $5.5 million (including $1.5 million signing bonus)
Cominsky checks a lot of boxes for the Jets. He is high-motor guy who can get to the passer when he is healthy and he is good in the run game. The Jets need to bring in some low-risk competition at defensive end spot considering how bad Micheal Clemmons was, Jermaine Johnson coming off an injury and the still unknown if Will McDonald can be an every-down player.
Cominsky comes from the Detroit Lions where he spent the last few years with Aaron Glenn so there would be some familiarity there.
2025 Cap Hit: $2 million
WR Tim Patrick – 1-year, $2 million
As for replacing Davante Adams don't expect a top name. There is simply too much unknown for the New York Jets with their new head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterback that the Jets are going to entice anyone to take the number two receiver job. They are going to have to money-whip someone, which they can’t do in their current state, or bargain shop.
Which leads us to Tim Patrick. Patrick played one season in Detroit in 2024 as the #3, where he totaled 394 yards and three touchdowns, and was reliable as a blocker. He came from Denver where Darren Mougey was the assistant GM and spent his entire career.
2025 Cap Hit: $2 million
Remaining Cap Space: About $10.14 million after reintegrating the practice squad/operating money costs
This is a very good spot to be in after the above moves. Not only do the Jets have plenty of space to use for the draft class and in-season moves like injury replacement signings, end-of-year incentives, etc., they also have the money needed for the practice squad. Considering all the dead money the team has on the books, this is a great spot to be in. A decent team, with star players locked up for years.
This is not a one-year fix team with no option at quarterback. The Jets are setting themselves up for the future in a very positive way.
Draft Selections
7th Overall Pick – Tyler Warren, TE Penn State
The Jets are going to do something they very rarely do, and that is draft based on skill and not need. Warren is a rare first round talent who can do it all at the tight end position. He helps the run game and the pass game. With no wide receiver worthy of the 7th pick, the Jets still manage to upgrade their entire offense with one pick.
The Jets will likely look to trade down if no quarterback falls to them, but in order to trade down, you will need a trade partner and I can’t see anyone trying to jump up to 7 for a non-qb. The Jets will take Warren and be happy.
Realistically, the only other player I would want in this position is Mason Graham, the defensive tackle from Michigan, but in this scenario I have him going off the board before the Jets pick.
42nd Overall Pick – Benjamin Morrison, CB Notre Dame
The Jets are going to lose D.J. Reed in free agency and they would likely want to keep Michael Carter II as the slot corner. Qwan’tez Stiggers is still a very raw player so I can see the Jets looking for some high-level help in the draft.
Morrison has very good size and overall length to hold his own as a boundary corner in the NFL. The Irish had one of the pass defenses in the country and Morrison often lined up on the outside opposite the opponents best wide receiver.
73rd Overall Pick – Deone Walker, DT Kentucky
Deone Walker is simply a massive individual with the length, size, and power that makes him a hassle to block 1-on-1. If you’re an opposing offensive lineman and fail to block him with proper technique, he’s going to out-physical you every time.
The Jets had a lot of trouble stopping the run game last year and Walker would be an immediate upgrade especially on early downs alongside Quinnen Williams. Walker needs to improve his fundamentals in order to use his physical tools better, but that may come with good coaching.
109th Overall Pick – Tyler Shough, QB Louisville
This guy is an NFL ready QB that has had some unfortunate injury history to make him drop in the NFL draft. I believe if Shough was 22 instead of 25 and didn’t have the injury history, he would be in the conversation with Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. His game tape is exactly what an NFL coach would want. If I am Darren Moughey and I can get this guy (I can’t call him a kid, I guess) and solve my QB problem for the next eight years instead of the next 11 years, I do it easily.
This pick is all upside, and I think Shough could even win the QB camp battle if they were to bring him in. Make sure you have a good backup if you are going to roll with Shough as your guy.
In my opinion, this would be a home run pick considering the cost and the potential upside.
146th Overall Pick – Chase Lundt, OT UConn
The Jets should be taking an offensive lineman in every draft. Lundt could immediately fight to be the swing tackle on the team. He needs to add some mass and bulk, but he is an athletic tactician in the pass blocking game and is able to get to the linebackers in the run game with ease.
157th Overall Pick – Kaden Prather, WR Maryland
The Jets are not going to solve their wide receiver problem and all their other problems in one off season. The team I constructed would focus more on tight end and running back mismatches rather than more talent on the outside. Still, sometimes teams find a diamond in the rough and that what Prather could be. Prather combines size with agility, excelling in spatial awareness and physicality to make contested catches. His ability to glide through space and adjust in the air are impressive.
209th Overall Pick – Cam Jackson, DT Florida
With only one pick in the 6th round after the above Mayer trade, the Jets take a project player with some upside. Jackson is a great tackler who has all the raw skills but needs a lot of coaching to develop on the next level.
Jets’ uncanny ability to win the offseason every year may finally be coming to an end
The New York Jets are used to winning. They win every year. The only problem is they win the offseason. Every year a splash move vaults them to the back page headlines and Jets fans get hyped for the season. This year in, year out off-season championship is what brings fans hope. And as I […]
