New York Jets: 15 best free agent acquisitions of all-time

The New York Jets have made quite a few memorable free agent signings throughout their history. Here are the team’s 15 greatest free agent acquisitions of all-time.

Free agency is the NFL’s manufactured auction period, where franchises bid on prospective players they think would be welcome additions to their rosters. The New York Jets have had varied success in the past with their free agent signings.

For every top-tier All-Pro talent, there has been a Neil O’Donnell. For every under-the-radar diamond in the rough signing, there has been a Darrelle Revis.

The Jets’ 2018 free agency haul, unfortunately, left much to be desired. The team’s major signing, cornerback Trumaine Johnson, struggled for much for the season, failing to live up to his massive five-year, $72.5 million contract. Others such as Spencer Long and Terrelle Pryor are no longer even on the roster.

But we aren’t here to dwell on pessimism.

The Jets have made numerous wise decisions in the two-and-a-half decades that the NFL’s current free agent system has been in place. Some of these moves have served as the backbone for some of the franchise’s best years. Others have simply been smart signings of players who were a reliable presence on the team for years.

The following 15 players fit either one or both of the above criteria. Anything and everything dealing with the signing has been taken into account, including player performance, contract duration and price tag. Moreover, we will be counting undrafted free agents for the sake of this list, as they were technically signed as free agents.

This list will also only contain players who had signed with the team after the current free agent system was put into place, so those signed prior to 1993 will not be included, as free agency wasn’t what we know it as today. Thus, all-time greats such as Don Maynard and Winston Hill will not be considered, despite their contributions to the organization’s early years.

With that, let’s take a look at the top free agent signings in Jets’ history starting with No. 15.

Honorable Mentions: Robby Anderson, David Barrett, Eric Decker, Mike DeVito, Kris Jenkins, Kerry Jenkins, Pete Kendall, Steve McLendon, Buster Skrine, LaDainian Tomlinson

Next: No. 15