How attractive are the NY Jets as a destination for players?

The NY Jets will have the opportunity to improve their roster this offseason. The question is, do players around the league want to play for the Jets?

Why do players want to sign with certain teams? Money, the city they’ll be living in, their chances of winning, the coach they’ll be playing for, and draft picks all can have a factor in where a free agent decides to play.

Let’s examine how the Jets fare in all of these aspects. Will the top free agents available this offseason consider signing with the Jets?

Would Deshaun Watson, who could be traded this offseason, waive his no-trade clause if the Jets made a deal for him?

The NY Jets’ cap space

NFL players love football. They are very competitive and want to win. They are also looking to get paid. How many guys in the league would be playing for free if they could?

The Jets should have over $70 million in cap space entering free agency and might be one of the top three teams in the entire league in cap space. That means they will be able to spend big money on free agents.

While they do have lots of money to spend, they aren’t the only team that will be able to hand out lucrative contracts.

When compared to the teams that are expected to have the most cap space, (Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Washington Football Team, Cincinnati Bengals) how appealing are the Jets as a landing spot to players around the league?

The City

What is the best city in the world? That is a very subjective question and you would get a wide variety of answers if you were to ask multiple people.

However, many people consider New York to be the greatest city in the world. Many players around the league would like to live in New York.

That is something that will help the Jets attract players to their organization.

The NY Jets’ ability to win

The Jets are coming off a 2-14 campaign. They have missed the playoffs in each of the past 10 seasons. That is the longest postseason drought in the entire league.

The franchise last appeared in the Super Bowl over 50 years ago. Those facts will not be ignored by players around the league who will be receiving contract offers from the Jets.

The NY Jets’ coach

The Jets hired Robert Saleh to be the team’s next head coach a little over a month ago. In 2019, the San Francisco 49ers ranked second in the NFL in yards allowed per game and appeared in the Super Bowl.

This past season, the 49ers ranked fifth in yards allowed per game despite having a plethora of injuries. Saleh was the team’s defensive coordinator in both of those seasons.

It’s no secret that people around the league think very highly of Saleh. It’s also known that Deshaun Watson has expressed interest in playing for Saleh.

Will Saleh be able to attract players to the Jets?

The NY Jets’ draft picks

The Jets have the second and 23rd overall picks in this upcoming draft and will also have two first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. These are prominent reasons why many are optimistic about the team’s future.

However, of all the previously mentioned factors, this one is likely the least important to players around the league. How many veteran NFL players are going to sign with a team so they can play with a rookie who hasn’t proven anything at the professional level?

An incoming rookie that is widely viewed as a “generational talent,” like Trevor Lawrence, could be an exception to that. The Jaguars could be seen as a more appealing landing spot to players around the league because they will likely select Lawrence with the first overall pick.

However, the Jets’ four first-round picks over the next two drafts might not convince players around the league to play in New York.

Will the Jets be able to land a big-time free agent? Would Deshaun Watson accept a trade to New York?

It should be noted that Le’Veon Bell and Jamal Adams, the two biggest names the Jets have had in a while, both left the organization in some form of controversy. While some of that could be blamed on Adam Gase, the Jets’ poor relationships with Adams and Bell could deter a free agent from signing with the team.

Next. NY Jets: 3 more possible trade destinations for Sam Darnold

Either way, it’s safe to say that this is an important offseason for the Jets.

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