NY Jets: Matt Forte signing proves team is in win-now mode

The NY Jets wanted to continue their “win-now” mentality by making sure they still had a premier option at running back. Acquiring Matt Forte proves it’s the right step towards competing again in 2016.

The Jets now will potentially have a formidable two-headed monster at the running back position once again. If the Jets can re-sign Bilal Powell and continue to build around Forte, Gang Green suddenly becomes home to an extremely potent offense, regardless of the quarterback position. Generally, running backs on the wrong side of 30 tend to drop off in production. If the Jets are able to bring Ryan Fitzpatrick back into the fold, the Jets’ offense suddenly becomes Spurs-like: full of savvy veterans who are hungry.

However, this is a double-edged sword: if the Jets invest in veterans (even Adam Jones and Nick Fairley), and let homegrown talent like Damon Harrison and Muhammad Wilkerson walk, then suddenly the pressure to win becomes two-fold. If history tells us anything, the Jets do best when we don’t expect them to win. With the New York Giants attempting to rebuild their regime after last year’s debacle, the Jets once again become the hot item on the New York NFL scene.

The saga with Tom Coughlin and Jason Pierre-Paul‘s missing finger left the Jets off of the back pages for a good part of the season. Now, with the stars potentially lining up, the Jets’ honeymoon phase is over. 8-8 would’ve been acceptable last year. This year, anything short of the NFL Playoffs will not be. If we look back at the AFC picture from last season, no team was especially dominant. If the Jets were to have made the dance last year, who knows what would’ve happened. The question of “what-if” can’t be left unanswered this year.

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Last year, general manager Mike Maccagnan seemed to be setting the tables for a run that nobody expected, constructing a roster of veterans, unproven potential and hungry guys classified as “glue” to keep it all together. If the rumor mill is correct, the Jets are now looking to put the puzzle pieces in place.

One guy who is a piece to the Jets’ puzzle and no one else’s is Fitzpatrick. Market value at every position seems to be going up, so signing as many players at that value is important. If we have learned anything it’s that the market value is always increasing.

The Jets will likely not be drafting running back Ezekiel Elliott with the 20th pick, although it would be interesting as it would be similar to the approach of drafting Leonard Williams with the 6th pick last year. Maccagnan is doing exactly what his counterpart, John Idzik, wanted to accomplish. At the 2014 mid-season press conference after the 1-7 start, Idzik claimed he wanted to “win now and in the future” when it came to the big picture. Ultimately neither happened. If moves like these are executed regularly by Maccagnan, then he is re-writing the book on roster management.

More jets: Patience is key with Jets' quarterback situation

Veterans like Brandon Marshall, young unproven potentials like Calvin Pryor (who is now proven) and hungry guys such as Marcus Williams and Erin Henderson usually equals success down the road. This move should decrease the panic meter significantly. Now let’s sit back and enjoy the ride coming in 2016.

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