NY Jets not expected to re-sign Jordan Jenkins, per reports

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Jordan Jenkins (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)

The NY Jets are not expected to re-sign outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins and the New York Giants are reportedly considered the favorites.

The NY Jets have remained quiet on the free-agent front so far, but they do seem set to lose one of their top internal free agents. Multiple reports have indicated that outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins will not be returning to Florham Park in 2020.

Connor Hughes of The Athletic is reporting that the Jets are no longer pursuing Jenkins and he is expected to sign with a new team in free agency.

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This has been backed up by various reports that indicate that a new favorite has emerged from the pack. Paul Schwartz of the New York Post has reported that the New York Giants are very interested in the former Georgia standout.

Jenkins has spent the past four seasons starting at outside linebacker for the Jets. A third-round pick in 2016, Jenkins has remained very durable playing in 60 of 64 possible games while developing into a pretty productive pass rusher.

The 25-year-old recorded a career-high 7.0 sacks in 2018 before following that up with a new high of 8.0 sacks in 2019. And while his pressure numbers aren’t incredibly high, his high motor has allowed him to get a large number of “effort sacks.”

Still, the Jets clearly feel that they can upgrade at the position which is certainly true. The advanced analytics would show that Jenkins is a below-average pass-rusher and an average run-defender at best.

Incredible may be a little bit of a stretch https://t.co/Omhx02dsuV pic.twitter.com/JX8rS1DwpD

— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) March 16, 2020

Jenkins earned a solid 66.9 Pro Football Focus grade last season which is fine, but certainly not worth whatever he is going to get paid. Some reports have him making as much as $12 million+ per season.

The Jets will likely pivot to other options — mainly Dante Fowler — as they look to upgrade at pass rusher.

Jenkins has been a fan-favorite and vocal team leader for a while now so seeing him leave will be sad. That’s especially true considering that he’s a homegrown talent who’s still very young.

But the Jets can upgrade and that’s exactly what they’re intent on doing.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.