5 free agents NY Jets were wise to avoid this offseason

2. The NY Jets were smart to avoid WR Calvin Ridley

The highest-paid non-QB offensive player in free agency this offseason was Calvin Ridley. The former first-round pick was expected to receive a hefty payday, but few would have expected him to receive the contract he eventually did.

The Tennessee Titans swooped in at the last moment to steal Ridley away from their division-rival Jaguars, handing the Alabama product a four-year, $92 million contract. That includes $50 million in guarantees — the third-most guaranteed money on any wide receiver's contract in the NFL.

Ridley is a good player who might not be a true WR1 but can be a positive contributor in any NFL offense. That said, he's not worth anywhere near what the Titans will be paying him.

The Jets took the economical route signing an arguably better player (albeit with injury concerns) in Mike Williams for a fraction of the price. This was never a contract the Jets should have considered.

1. The NY Jets were smart to avoid OG Robert Hunt

In such a loaded offensive guard market, many expected the Jets to come away with one of the top names in free agency. Robert Hunt was one of the players most frequently connected to the Jets, and reports suggest the team did have interest.

That was likely before they knew his market would explode, however. Hunt — an above-average young starting guard — received a downright ludicrous five-year, $100 million contract from the Carolina Panthers in free agency.

The deal made him one of the highest-paid interior offensive linemen in NFL history. As one should expect, the Jets were never going to pay anything close to that.

Instead, the Jets ended up adding the likes of Tyron Smith, Morgan Moses, and John Simpson for roughly the exact same price. That's what good asset management looks like.