5 biggest winners from first wave of NY Jets 2024 free agency

All things considered, the NY Jets had a pretty successful first week of free agency. The team managed to completely revamp their offensive line, adding three new starters at a very reasonable price.

The Jets re-signed key special-teams players, bolstered their defensive line depth, and added a very capable backup quarterback behind Aaron Rodgers. Outside of a wide receiver addition which might be coming in the near future, it's hard to have asked for much more.

The Jets' moves in free agency benefit the team and should improve their chances of making a legitimate Super Bowl run in 2024. The moves also benefit a handful of players on the Jets' roster even more than others.

Let's take a look at five players on the Jets' roster who came away as the biggest winners from the first wave of free agency.

5. Javon Kinlaw, DT, NY Jets

Javon Kinlaw has had a rocky NFL career to this point. A first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Kinlaw was drafted to be DeForest Buckner's replacement in San Francisco, but injuries and disappointing play derailed his stint with the 49ers.

Kinlaw returned healthy in 2023, finishing with a career-high 3.5 sacks and 31 pressures in 17 games. That was enough to convince the Jets to give him a hefty one-year, $7.25 million contract with nearly $7 million in guarantees.

It's pretty shocking that Kinlaw was able to get that much from the Jets, especially seeing as though Quinton Jefferson, who is currently better in every way, received a contract for less than half of that from the Cleveland Browns.

Kinlaw will have the opportunity to reunite with his former defensive coordinator in Robert Saleh — a coach who is highly regarded for his ability to maximize the talent of his defensive linemen. And he'll do so while playing on a lucrative contract.