Jets' worst offseason move is one that Darren Mougey hasn't made yet

The New York Jets don't have as many long-term building blocks as fans who want to see an immediate playoff birth would like, but they do have two of the best young players in the league in cornerback Sauce Gardner and wide receiver Garrett Wilson at their disposal.

At a time when other players from the 2022 class are already starting to get their long-term deals wrapped up, both Jets fans and outside observers are united in questioning new general manager Darren Mougey. Why haven't these deals for the two cornerstones been locked up long ago?

ESPN's Seth Walder gave the Jets a "B" grade for the offseason, praising them for realizing that they needed to completely reboot the organization after their failure with Aaron Rodgers. However, he does not like the fact that Wilson and Gardner remain without a long-term deal.

With Wilson fresh off his third-straight season of 1,000-yard production amid subpar quarterback play and Gardner coming off a "down year" in which he still allowed the fewest catches of any cornerback in the league, all Mougey is doing by waiting is making the price go up.

Jets ripped by ESPN for not extending Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson

While just six cornerbacks in the league have an AAV in excess of $20 million per season, Houston Texans star Derek Stingley Jr. becoming the first cornerback to hit $30 million per year was likely not lost on Gardner. Sauce will assuredly be asking to at least match Stingley's offer in negotiations.

$30 million per year may also be the sweet spot for Wilson, as Amon-Ra St. Brown getting a deal in that range should provide a solid example for No. 5 to lean on in his contract talks. Wilson is not in the CeeDee Lamb or Ja'Marr Chase tier that can demand money around $35 million per year and get away with it.

Outside of both Williams brothers and recently extended linebacker Jamien Sherwood, the Jets don't have a ton of money allocated for future extensions. With the Jets paying quarterback Justin Fields next to nothing when compared to other starters in the league, Mougey has plenty of flexibility to sign these two.

In a perfect world, Gardner and Wilson will be wearing Jets green and white for the rest of their professional careers. The first step towards making that fantasy a reality is extending them. As any GM worth their salt must recognize that these two players are worth building the new-look Jets around.

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