NY Jets: 5 free agents on the team’s offseason wish list

The NY Jets have a number of high-profile players they’d love to sign in free agency. Let’s take a look at five offseason targets the Jets would love to sign.

The NY Jets are once again expected to be major players in free agency this offseason. After landing the likes of C.J. Mosley and Le’Veon Bell last year, the Jets are looking to make a few big splashes again this March.

Of course, just because a team wants a player, doesn’t mean that they are going to be able to land them. Just look at the infamous Anthony Barr situation from last offseason — things don’t always work out as planned.

Nonetheless, general manager Joe Douglas undoubtedly has his eyes on a number of top-tier free agents that he’d love to see the Jets sign.

This list isn’t going to be comprised of the lesser-known, under-the-radar guys the team could target. Instead, these are the best free agents on the market that the Jets have interest in and feasibly can sign.

Obviously, there isn’t really a scenario in which all five of these players could be signed. But if the Jets could come away with at least two of them, then it will be a pretty successful free agency period for Gang Green.

With that, let’s take a look at the five players headlining the Jets’ free agency wish list.

Next: 5. Robby Anderson

5. Robby Anderson, WR

Yes, this is technically an internal free agent but Robby Anderson might as well already be on the open market.

The Jets want Anderson back, that much has never been doubted. The speedy wideout has been the team’s most productive receiver over the last few seasons and remains their most explosive offensive playmaker.

And with the Jets looking to upgrade at the receiver position in the offseason, it makes little sense to let their top option walk — especially given his age and chemistry with Sam Darnold.

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Unfortunately, everything comes down to finances. It always does.

Anderson wants to be back with the Jets in 2020 — he made that clear with his recent comments. But with his market value expected to be higher than the Jets are willing to pay, a reunion seems unlikely.

Reports are scattered regarding what Anderson is slated to make on the open market with some sources indicating as low as $10 million per year while others state it’s as high as $15 million per season.

The answer likely lies somewhere in the middle, but even that might be higher than Joe Douglas wants to go.

In a perfect world, Anderson would return to the Jets in 2020 and continue to build upon the chemistry he has with Darnold. But football has never been a perfect world, and it remains a longshot that Anderson re-signs.

Nonetheless, he’s certainly on the Jets’ wish list.

Next: 4. Graham Glasgow

4. Graham Glasgow, OG/C

General manager Joe Douglas has made his priorities very clear this offseason — the Jets’ primary concern is the offensive line. And he’s prepared to spend big money in free agency to make some changes.

Rumors have swirled that the Jets could be in on the Jack Conklin sweepstakes, but offensive tackle doesn’t seem to be their primary interest in free agency. Fortunately, there are a number of excellent interior options expected to be available this March.

The top option will appear later in this list, but one player who has been heavily connected to the Jets in recent weeks is offensive guard/center Graham Glasgow.

Glasgow has spent the last four seasons with the Detroit Lions and the Michigan product has developed into one of the more unheralded interior offensive linemen in the NFL.

He finished the 2019 season with a very solid 74.1 Pro Football Focus grade and didn’t allow a single sack in 15 starts. On top of that, the 27-year-old has remained incredibly durable missing just two of 64 possible games throughout his career.

Even though he isn’t considered the top option on the market, don’t look at Glasgow as a fall-back option. Connor Hughes of The Athletic even mentioned the possibility of the Jets targeting both Glasgow and another top interior lineman in free agency while doubling down on the Jets’ interest in both.

Glasgow may have flown under the radar a bit to this point in his career, but expect the versatile lineman to cash in big time in free agency.

The Jets will be hoping that he does so with them.

Next: 3. Dante Fowler

3. Dante Fowler, EDGE

It’s no secret that the Jets will be looking to upgrade their offense more than their defense. But with glaring holes at important positions, they certainly won’t ignore the defensive side of the ball.

The two primary areas of concern are at edge rusher and cornerback. In this instance, we’ll look at who their top edge rusher target will be.

The upcoming edge rusher class initially looked incredibly strong, but some of the top names on the market — players like Yannick Ngakoue, Shaquil Barrett, and Matthew Judon — are expected to be franchise tagged.

Still, the likes of Jadeveon Clowney and Dante Fowler are also likely to get paid. In the case of the Jets, they’re much more likely to be interested in the latter.

Reports of the Jets’ interest in Fowler have dated back a few years now and the rumblings have begun to grow again. Numerous sources have backed up the claim that the Jets will target former No. 3 overall pick this offseason.

Fowler is fresh off a breakout 11.5-sack season with the Los Angeles Rams and at just 25-years-old, he’s expected to have a sizable market. The Rams want to keep him, but their terrible cap situation will likely prevent that from happening.

Expect the Jets to make Fowler a top priority if they could manage to stay in the market. But with the former Florida star expected to command $15 million per season, it won’t be easy.

Regardless, he remains near the top of their offseason wish list.

Next: 2. James Bradberry

2. James Bradberry, CB

Aside from edge rusher, the Jets will also be eyeing the cornerback market in free agency as they look to revamp their current cornerback group. And one player they continue to be associated with is James Bradberry.

Bradberry is joined by the likes of Byron Jones and Chris Harris Jr. in what is a very top-heavy crop of free-agent cornerbacks. Jones and Bradberry, in particular, are expected to “reset the cornerback market.”

Bradberry is reportedly looking for at least $15 million per season while Jones might command slightly more. While Jones remains the more proven commodity, the Jets’ interest seems to lie primarily in Bradberry.

The 2016 second-round pick has spent the last four seasons as a starter on the outside for the Carolina Panthers. And while he’s a solid, young cornerback hitting the open market, he likely isn’t a player worth paying $15 million a season for.

Bradberry has amazingly never earned a Pro Football Focus grade north of 70.0 with his worst coming this past season when he was given a very poor 60.9 grade. That’s close to what Darryl Roberts was graded last year.

Jones will be paid more but the former Dallas Cowboys star has at least played well enough to justify it.

Still, the Jets seem intent on making Bradberry a top target. For better or worse, he’s definitely a player the Jets want to land this offseason.

Next: 1. Joe Thuney

1. Joe Thuney, OG

This is that top interior offensive lineman that was alluded to earlier. Joe Thuney is about as can’t-miss as you can get out of a free agent.

He’s still relatively young at just 27-years-old, has played in and started every single game over his four-year NFL career, and has done so at an incredibly high level.

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Just this past season, Thuney put together the best 16-game stretch of his career earning Second-Team All-Pro honors and finishing with an excellent Pro Football Focus grade of 77.4.

All of that despite playing on a significantly worse New England Patriots offensive line than in recent years.

Thuney is arguably the top offensive lineman on the free-agent market this offseason and he’s going to get paid as such — but the Jets still should be all-in. After all, it’s not often you find a player as young and talented as him hit the open market with seemingly no red flags.

As expected, rumors seem to indicate that Thuney is at the very top of the Jets’ free agency priorities with Connor Hughes of The Athletic backing up that claim earlier on Tuesday.

The Jets won’t be alone with as many as 15-20 teams likely to be interested in the former NC State standout. But there is no free agent that will be coveted by Joe Douglas more than Thuney.

And if the Jets could have it their way, they’d steal Thuney from their arch-rivals and watch him play in green and white for the next five years.