4 NY Jets free agents the team could still re-sign this offseason

1. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, OG, NY Jets

Of all the Jets free agents who remain unsigned, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is probably the most surprising. That's mostly because it's odd that the Jets haven't brought him back to this point.

Duvernay-Tardif was acquired in a midseason trade last offseason in exchange for special-teamer/tight end Daniel Brown, a player who would be re-signed only a few weeks later after he was released by his new team.

The Jets made the move with the goal of upgrading the right guard position. Greg Van Roten struggled mightily in the first half of the season and the hope was that Duvernay-Tardif would be able to push him for the starting job.

That's exactly what happened. Duvernay-Tardif went on to start the final seven games of the season, and while he didn't play at an All-Pro level or anything, he more than held his own.

After not starting a game since 2019, Duvernay-Tardif proved to be a capable starting guard. He's someone the Jets should absolutely look to bring back as excellent depth.

That's especially true given that Van Roten is still under contract. The veteran guard is due $3.5 million in 2022, but much like Ryan Griffin, the Jets could cut him with no dead cap penalty.

Duvernay-Tardif is a better player than Van Roten at this stage, and it's hard to imagine they'd have to pay much more than $3.5 million to bring him back.

As long as Duvernay-Tardif is interested in a return, which he seemingly is, the Jets should make this one happen.