Jets could reunite with Mike Maccagan Day 3 steal via trade to beef up LB room

The New York Jets are no strangers to watching former NFL Draft picks finally start to figure it out once they leave town, and former fifth-round linebacker Blake Cashman has become the next player to get a second lease on his football life after bolting for the Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings.

While Cashman has managed to overcome the injury problems that plagued him throughout his time with the Jets, his time as a key member of the Vikings defense might be coming to a close sooner than many expected. After the Vikings picked linebacker Jake Golday in the 2026 NFL Draft, Cashman could be on the move.

Pro Football Focus added further credence to the thought that Cashman could be had for the right price. The Jets have done well to address their lack of depth with some veteran additions, but the one position where they are quite thin is the linebacker room behind the starters in Demario Davis and Jamien Sherwood.

The Jets getting Cashman is not going to help them improve in coverage, as he struggled in that area last season, but he would give the Jets both peace of mind in case one of the starters gets hurt or Sherwood continues his post-contract regression. He likely won't cost a ton in a trade.

Jets could look to Blake Cashman trade for linebacker depth

Cashman's 63.6 PFF grade is right in the middle of the pack when compared to the rest of the league, and his coverage grade is below 50.0, but he remains an effective two-down thumper who is rarely caught out of position. At age 30, Cashman is another veteran who can provide some experience and pop to a young roster.

Behind Davis and Sherwood, the latter of whom is no sure thing after his horrid 2025 season, the top replacements are a career backup who has bounced around the NFL in Mykal Walker and a 2025 fifth-round pick in Kiko Mauigoa that was extremely up-and-down last campaign. This room is teetering on the edge of disaster.

Cashman gives extra assurance and may also push Sherwood. After the recently extended inside linebacker was benched in 2025, it's clear that Aaron Glenn doesn't think as highly of him as he did when he was handed that extension. The Jets no longer have to feel beholden to No. 44 if his regression away from Robert Saleh remains.

After landing Harrison Phillips one year ago, Darren Mougey could once again land a veteran role player right out from under Minnesota's watch.

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