3 early trade targets for the NY Jets in the 2022 offseason

2. NY Jets trade target: Justin Reid, S, Houston Texans

This one comes with a caveat. Justin Reid is actually scheduled to be a free agent in the offseason with his rookie contract set to expire.

The caveat here is that I'm operating under the assumption that the Houston Texans place the franchise tag on him. Which, given the fact that they likely might want to recoup some value for him, does make sense.

The Texans cleaned house this past offseason and that overhaul could continue with Reid who has found himself the subject of trade rumors. The former Stanford star was benched in the team's game against the Jets for "disciplinary reasons" leading to further speculation that he might depart in the offseason.

At this stage, it seems unlikely that Reid is on the Texans' roster in 2022. But if they place the franchise tag on him, they could find a few potential suitors.

One of those teams could be the Jets who are desperate for safety help at the moment. With Marcus Maye unlikely to return in the offseason, the Jets could find his replacement with a younger, perhaps better player in Reid who's still just 24-years-old.

The Jets may not want to commit to Maye given his age and injury history, but Reid is a player who could serve as a cornerstone of their defense for years to come. And with seven interceptions in 54 career games, he would give them the playmaker in the secondary that they don't currently have.

Safety is one of the Jets' most underrated needs heading into the offseason and they could quickly fill that need by trading for a player like Justin Reid.