Grading every move the NY Jets made in the 2024 offseason

The NY Jets have had quite an eventful offseason to this point. The organization entered the 2024 offseason looking to solidify a roster that, with a few tweaks, could be asked to contend for a Super Bowl this season.

The Jets revamped their offensive line, bolstered their receiving corps, and made a few high-profile trades, and now that the dust has settled, the team seems primed for success in 2024.

That said, not every move the Jets made was a home run. While it's obviously too early to make any declarative statements about any offseason transaction, there are a few questionable decisions the Jets made.

Let's take a look at every notable move the Jets made this offseason and assign it a preliminary grade. Note that only external moves will be considered, so any re-signings will not be included on this list.

NY Jets sign Tyron Smith

Perhaps the most high-profile external addition the Jets made this offseason, Tyron Smith significantly raises the ceiling of the team's offensive line. When healthy, Smith is still one of the best left tackles in the NFL.

Smith has a cap hit of just $2.9 million in 2024 with only $6.5 million in total guarantees, making this one of the best value signings by any team this offseason.

Injuries are a serious factor here, but if Smith even plays 70 percent of the season the Jets could legitimately have one of the better offensive lines in football.

Grade: A

NY Jets trade for Haason Reddick/lose Bryce Huff

This might be the most complicated entry on this list. The Haason Reddick trade, in a vacuum, was a brilliant move by the Jets. The issue is when it's combined with the departure of Bryce Huff, the overall swap doesn't look as encouraging.

This, of course, depends on your opinion of Huff as a player. The Jets had every opportunity to extend Huff before and after the 2023 season. They don't value him in the way that many other teams clearly do. That's why this decision was made.

Reddick is a fantastic player, but this trade highlights the Jets' failures with Huff. Letting Huff walk was a mistake, but the Jets made up for said mistake in about the best way possible. That averages out to somewhere around a B-.

Grade: B-

NY Jets sign Mike Williams

The Jets need to upgrade their wide receiver in a big way this offseason, and they did just that by signing former Los Angeles Chargers star Mike Williams to a one-year, $10 million contract.

Williams is similar to the Tyron Smith signing in that he raises the ceiling of what this Jets offense can be in 2024. He comes with his own share of injury concerns and will be returning from a torn ACL, but if he's even 80 percent of the player he was in Los Angeles, this is a great signing for the Jets.

Grade: B+

NY Jets trade for Morgan Moses

One of the best value moves made by the Jets this offseason was the trade for Morgan Moses. Moses returned to the Jets in March in exchange for a swap of Day 3 picks, and he's expected to assume the starting right tackle job.

Moses was one of the better right tackles in the NFL last season, finishing with an 80.4 Pro Football Focus grade that ranked 10th out of all 81 qualified offensive tackles in the league.

The Jets acquired a rock-solid starting tackle for next to nothing and will be paying him just $5.5 million in 2024. That's impressive work by Joe Douglas.

Grade: A

NY Jets sign John Simpson

The Jets are betting on upside and character with John Simpson. The former Las Vegas Raiders draft pick was nearly out of football before revitalizing his career in Baltimore last year.

Simpson was probably the weakest link on a talented Ravens offensive line in 2023, but the Jets believe that his arrow is pointing up. Given how expensive the guard market was this offseason, signing Simpson for two years, $12 million is pretty good value. That elevates the grade a little.

Grade: C+

NY Jets sign Tyrod Taylor

The Jets learned firsthand the importance of a quality backup quarterback last season, and for the first time in the Joe Douglas era, the team addressed the position with a meaningful addition, signing veteran Tyrod Taylor to a two-year, $12 million contract.

Taylor is a significant upgrade over the crop of quarterbacks the Jets trotted out last season, and he has a chance to keep the team in games if Aaron Rodgers is forced to miss any time. This was an important move for the Jets.

Grade: B+

NY Jets sign Javon Kinlaw

The Jets' handling of the defensive line this offseason has been a little puzzling, and nowhere is that more evident than with the Javon Kinlaw signing. The Jets let Quinton Jefferson walk in free agency only to downgrade and pay double for his replacement.

Kinlaw has struggled with injuries throughout his career and has never had a season as productive as Jefferson was in 2023. Despite this, the Jets gave Kinlaw a whopping $7.25 million on a one-year deal, all while Jefferson's cap hit with the Cleveland Browns in 2024 is less than $2 million.

The Kinlaw signing was also one of the reasons the Jets were "forced" to move on from John Franklin-Myers. Robert Saleh clearly still believes in Kinlaw's potential, but this signing has a much higher chance of busting than actually working out.

Grade: D+

NY Jets sign Isaiah Oliver

This is one of the more underrated signings the Jets made this offseason. Isaiah Oliver is an experienced defensive back with nearly 50 career starts under his belt. He played nearly 50 percent of defensive snaps for the San Francisco 49ers last season.

Oliver was seen by many as Bryce Hall's replacement, but the Jets seem to be moving him to safety full-time in 2024. He should be a regular on special teams with a chance to earn a role on defense.

Grade: B

NY Jets sign Leki Fotu

This is your Al Woods replacement. The Jets' run defense notably declined after Woods was lost for the season to a torn Achilles, and the hope is that Leki Fotu could fill his void on defense. That remains to be seen, however.

Fotu was a liability at times for the Arizona Cardinals last season, posting a very poor 46.1 Pro Football Focus grade which included a 40.7 run-defense grade. PFF grades aren't everything, but ask any Cardinals fan about how Fotu played last year.

This signing is very much a wait-and-see situation.

Grade: C

NY Jets trade John Franklin-Myers

This was the Jets' worst of the offseason. The Jets have tried to spin this as a necessary evil, but the truth of the matter is that the team could've afforded to keep John Franklin-Myers — they just didn't think he was worth it.

Instead, the Jets traded away a rock-solid starter and core defensive piece for a 2026 sixth-round pick. They did so to save money and justify their very questionable Will McDonald pick from a year ago.

There were numerous ways the Jets could've saved that money instead of moving on from Franklin-Myers. Ultimately, they just didn't value him enough. They believe they can replace him for cheap. I strongly disagree with that assertion.

Grade: D

NY Jets draft class

It's always challenging to grade a draft class before the players even step foot on the field, but at first glance, there are no glaring mistakes like there were last year. This could be a very productive draft class for the Jets.

Olu Fashanu gives the Jets much-needed offensive line depth and projects as the left tackle of the future. Malachi Corley should be a day-one contributor as the team's possible starting slot receiver.

As always, this grade is the most subject to change of any on this list, but a 'B' grade feels fair for now.

Grade: B

NY Jets undrafted free agent class

This one is very similar to the draft class in that it's difficult to predict what type of impact the Jets' undrafted free agents will have less than a month after signing. Still, there are a few players to be excited about.

Defensive linemen Eric Watts, Braiden McGregor, and Leonard Taylor III all have legitimate chances to make the 53-man roster coming out of training camp. Watts is already making a strong first impression while Taylor was seen as a possible first-round pick 6-7 months ago.

There is plenty of upside with this group, and it's easy to see at least one or two sticking around on the active roster. Robert Saleh is going to find at least one undrafted gem in this defensive line room.

Grade: B+