NY Jets: Why the team stayed quiet for Tuesday’s trade deadline

The NY Jets stayed quiet in the final hours before the 4 p.m. deadline after previous moves.

For the second year in a row, the NY Jets had a quiet day on the NFL’s trade deadline. Despite the team’s 0-8 start and the inevitable deconstruction of the roster following the season, general manager Joe Douglas decided not to make any last-minute moves.

This can be explained by a few reasons. For starters, the Jets don’t have many players worth trading for. Other than their young stars, Mekhi Becton and Quinnen Williams, there aren’t many enticing players to call about if you’re another team’s general manager.

Marcus Maye is arguably the most appealing player that was never deemed untouchable leading up to the deadline. No real trade buzz ever came about regarding the safety, who’s on the last year of his deal.

Maye should be a part of the Jets’ future. He’s played very solid football throughout his career and has evolved into a great leader on the defensive side of the ball. It’s not hard to think he’s a part of the Jets’ future plans.

According to Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News, Jordan Jenkins came up in trade discussions on One Jets Drive. He’s been a major disappointment in 2020 for Gang Green, as Jenkins only has one sack and nine tackles despite being the team’s most effective pass-rusher in 2019.

Trading Jenkins would have made sense but according to Mehta, the Jets’ asking price was too high.

The price couldn’t have been very high at all considering he’s likely gone after this season, so it’s hard to imagine the Jets got offered much, if anything, for Jenkins, who’s been one of the league’s least efficient edge rushers this season.

The NY Jets reportedly received some interest in a handful of other players.

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated also reported that the Jets received calls on four players leading up to the deadline: Avery Williamson, Quincy Wilson, Chuma Edoga, and George Fant.

Williamson was the only one traded, as the veteran linebacker was dealt to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night along with an exchange of late-round draft picks.

The Jets acquired Wilson during the 2020 NFL Draft for a Day 3 pick, and considering he hasn’t done much, he probably didn’t have much of a market.

The Jets are also very banged up and thin at both cornerback and on the offensive line, so trading away players like Wilson, Edoga, and Fant wouldn’t have made sense for them. You don’t trade players in positions you are thin at.

Although it was a very unexciting trade deadline for Jets fans, they should be happy with the outcome. The Jets acquired more draft capital in exchange for veterans that were not a part of the team’s future and held onto their young talent as well.

Douglas is now loaded up with cap space and draft ammunition for the next two years, and fans should be excited to see how he uses it.