Jets make first major splash of free agency with high-upside Joseph Ossai signing

Justin Fried

New York Jets edge rusher Joseph Ossai / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The New York Jets have made their first major signing of free agency, agreeing to terms on a three-year, $36 million deal with edge rusher Joseph Ossai, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

A third-round pick of the Bengals in the 2021 NFL Draft, Ossai recorded 14.5 sacks over four years in Cincinnati, including five sacks apiece in each of the last two seasons. He's coming off a career-best season in which he played a career-high 67% of defensive snaps, starting nine games.

Ossai is an upside swing for a Jets team that was searching for help at edge rusher. He joins Will McDonald and fellow reported signing Kingsley Enagbare in a new-look Jets pass-rush room, which could also be bolstered with the No. 2 overall pick.

At just 25 years old, Ossai is the exact type of player this Jets regime is looking to target. He's a young, ascending player who could continue to develop at a reasonable price tag.

Joseph Ossai gives Jets a high-upside flier to boost their pass rush

Ossai re-signed with the Bengals on a meager one-year deal this time last year with the hope that an increased role could boost his value the following offseason. That's exactly what ended up happening.

Ossai posted career highs in pressure rate (10.6 percent) and pass rush win rate (12.1 percent) while also delivering the best run-defense season of his career. His 70.7 Pro Football Focus run-defense grade in 2025 was the highest mark he has recorded in the NFL.

The fact that the Jets were willing to give him a three-year contract shows that he's someone this regime believes can grow with the team, and that he's someone they believe projects well in their new 3-4 defensive scheme.

While Ossai was used as a hand-in-the-dirt 4-3 defensive end in Cincinnati, many scouts believed he would be better off as a 3-4 outside linebacker in the pros when he was coming out of Texas. After all, he's actually a converted inside linebacker.

At 6-foot-4, 256 pounds, Ossai is a high-motor, long-armed edge defender who the Jets seem to believe will be even more productive in their defense. This is exactly the type of projection swing teams should want to take in free agency.

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.