Coffee with the Jets: Can Maccagnan make all the right moves?

In this edition of Coffee with the New York Jets, a look at the possible spending spree Mike Maccagnan will have this offseason, how Gang Green won their trade with the Seattle Seahawks, and some interesting comments made by Muhammad Wilkerson.

With Christmas right around the corner, it would be nice for the New York Jets to win their season finale at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. It’s always fun to go to or even watch football on Christmas Eve so hopefully, they put on a good game and leave their matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers victorious.

Since the Jets are mathematically eliminated from making the NFL Playoffs, most fans have already turned the page on this season and are focused, well, excited about what awaits the franchise this offseason.

General manager Mike Maccagnan will have a lot of money to spend and should make the upcoming offseason one to keep an eye on, especially with free agency and of course, the 2018 NFL Draft. Here are some of the top articles on the Jets from across the internet which as always, go fantastic with a hot cup of coffee.

More from The Jet Press

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• NY Jets reportedly non-tendering linebacker Harvey Langi
• NY Jets: Why the team should not cut Jamison Crowder
• NY Jets should try to sign Kenny Golladay in free agency
• NY Jets: Jonnu Smith would be a smart free-agent target

The concern with letting Mike Maccagnan run $80M spending spree by Brian Costello (New York Post)

Well, Maccagnan has shown he can identify talent, but, oddly, he usually does better on the small-ticket items than the big-ticket ones. His additions of Demario Davis, Kony Ealy, Jermaine Kearse and Jeremy Kerley all paid dividends this season. Signing Robby Anderson as an undrafted free agent in 2016 looks like a brilliant move.

The general consensus is Maccagnan is a very smart and talented individual when it comes to finding talent that are hidden gems in the rough. Yeah, things didn’t work out when he got Ryan Fitzpatrick to re-sign at the last second in 2016 or the huge contract extension he gave to Muhammad Wilkerson but to truly grade a general manager, one has to look at the greater picture. Maccagnan has done a great job when it comes to the majority of his draft picks over the past few years and picking up players that fit the overall culture that head coach Todd Bowles wants to have in the locker room. The upcoming offseason one is easily one of the biggest and most important of the franchise in the past decade or so because they have a lot of money and a lot of areas to finally address, especially at quarterback. Trust the process since Maccagnan will put the Jets in a great position to be contenders either in 2018 or at the very least, 2019.

Sheldon Richardson trade aging well for Jets by Rich Cimini (ESPN)

“I feel like I haven’t even scratched what I’m capable of doing,” said Kearse, who believes he can be a bigger contributor if given a chance. Asked who won the trade, Kearse smiled and said, “They got me, so I’m going to side with me.”

To get rid of a locker room cancer like Sheldon Richardson and bring in a solid wide receiver who also adds veteran experience to the locker room is always a win-win situation. Maccagnan made the right move by trading Richardson and bringing in Kearse who has had a pretty solid season with the Jets. He’s also helped ease some of the pressure off of Robby Anderson which at the end of the day, is always a great thing to have two capable threats on offense that could take it to the house. The Jets easily won their trade with the Seahawks since Richardson has been decent but nothing extraordinary in the Emerald City.

Mo Wilkerson: ‘I feel like I’ve earned everything I’ve gotten’ by Rich Cimini (ESPN)

Wilkerson has become a lightning rod because of his penchant for showing up late to meetings, which landed him in Todd Bowles’ dog house. He was benched for last week’s game and his status for this week is up in the air. In all likelihood, these will be the final two games of his Jets career.

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Wilkerson has turned into such a disappointment after he got his huge contract extension that the Jets would be wise to cut their ties with him. He’s not as productive on the gridiron and besides that, is turning into a locker room distraction by constantly being late to mandatory team meetings and just not respecting the team rules for such events. It’s highly likely the Jets will release Wilkerson this offseason and quite honestly, the Jets would be better off without him as they continue to rebuild the right way, with players that actually want to put in the work and commit towards success.