Former first round pick spurns Jets in favor of division rival
No deal is done until its signed. A lesson the Jets have learned a few times in the past. And they were reminded again of that fact this week. After being cut from the Minnesota Vikings, former 2022 first round pick Lewis Cine was reportedly going to try and resurrect his career with the Jets […]
No deal is done until its signed. A lesson the Jets have learned a few times in the past. And they were reminded again of that fact this week.
After being cut from the Minnesota Vikings, former 2022 first round pick Lewis Cine was reportedly going to try and resurrect his career with the Jets on their practice squad. But when the Jets released their official practice squad signings, Cine’s name wasn’t on the list.
Did that mean he was headed to the 53-man roster? Or was there a subsequent move to be made much like when the Jets brought in Brenden Bates and waived Jason Brownlee?
Reports are now that Cine spurned the Jets in favor of the divisional rival Buffalo Bills and he plans to sign with their practice squad.
While you never want to see a player spurn your squad, especially not for a divisional rival, this is really not a big deal for the Jets. Cine is a developmental project who only has value at this point based on his draft status from two years ago.
Cine, 24, was a two-year starter at Georgia. He was a third-team All-American and a second-team All-SEC selection as a junior. The Vikings used the No. 32 overall pick on him in the 2022 draft.
He signed a four-year, $11,494,150 contract that includes a $5,539,382. There was also a fifth-year option for the team to pick up in 2025. However, the Vikings waived him in the third year of the deal. In 2023, Cine appeared in seven games for the Vikings and recorded one tackle.
While players have different priorities when choosing where to sign, if his goal was to resurrect his once promising career, then not choosing the Jets is a head-scratching move. The Jets have taken several players at all levels of their defense and got the most out of them and eventually got them paid. D.J. Reed, Quinton Jefferson and Quincy Williams to a name a few, while Takk McKinley and Javon Kinlaw appear to be headed that way this season.
So, the Jets will go into this season with the four safeties on their roster and two on the practice squad (Jaylen Key and Jarius Monroe), and face off against Cine twice this year.
Jets make a rare in-division trade sending star of preseason to needy divisional rival
The Jets know how to find kick returners late or after the NFL draft and they are using that skill to better their draft position for next year. The Jets are sending Brandon Codrington to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a late round pick swap in 2026 according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL […]
