Jets GM: Offers for No. 3 pick weren’t good enough

The New York Jets may have been tempted to trade down from the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft, but no offer came close to tempting them to pass on an elite prospect.

Heading into this year’s draft, rumors were swirling about the Jets being a popular trade-down partner for any team looking to move up to the top of the draft, particularly for one of the top quarterbacks in the class. But with Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray off the board to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 1 overall, it looks like the league wasn’t enamored enough with the other available passers to make a worthy offer for the No. 3 pick.

Speaking on Ian Rapoport’s podcast, Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan made it clear he never got an offer that was worth passing up Alabama defensive lineman Quinnen Williams:

“On the clock, there was never really a trade offer that was strong enough to make us move, basically.” — #Jets GM Mike Maccagnan on RapSheet + Friends on drafting Quinnen Williams & insight into the trade market. Plus @MikeGarafolo, @TomPelissero & me: https://t.co/wEdfvH7LyA

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 2, 2019

The next quarterback came off the board at No. 6 overall, where the cross-town rival New York Giants opted for Duke’s Daniel Jones over Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins. Nobody moved up the the No. 4 spot (Oakland Raiders) or No. 5 (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) to get ahead of the Giants, who were known to be targeting a franchise quarterback to eventually replace Eli Manning, so it’s clear the Jets weren’t the only ones unsatisfied with potential trade-down offers.

While the Jets certainly could have used additional picks, considering last year’s Sam Darnold trade left them without a second-rounder in this year’s draft, they weren’t willing to move down at a discount. Instead, they opted for Williams, who many believed to be the best overall prospect in the entire draft, regardless of position.