NY Jets fail to re-sign fan favorite safety and two other practice squad players

The NY Jets signed a host of players to reserve/futures deals last week, essentially ensuring that their entire practice squad will be a part of their 90-man offseason roster. Well, all except for three players.

Cornerback Anthony Brown, defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey, and safety Trey Dean were not among the players signed to futures deals following the conclusion of the regular season.

On Monday, the practice squad contracts of all three players officially expired, meaning that they were now eligible to sign with other NFL teams. And it sounds like Dean already has.

uSTADIUM is reporting that Dean is expected to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs and potentially play for the team in the postseason this year. An official announcement hasn't been made yet, but Dean is no longer under contract with the Jets.

The NY Jets might regret letting Trey Dean go

The report states that the Jets attempted to sign Dean to a future deal but that he rejected the offer, instead exploring other options. Evidently, he chose to sign with the Chiefs instead.

NFL teams are able to sign players to futures deals following the conclusion of the season. Any player who is not on a 53-man roster is eligible to be, and you'll typically see teams sign their own practice squad players to this type of contract since practice squads do not exist in the offseason.

Futures deals do not become official until the start of the new league year in March. It's essentially a way to keep players unofficially under contract on the offseason 90-man roster until then.

The Jets had an opportunity to keep Dean under contract if they signed him to the active roster prior to the end of the season, as they did with running back Xazavian Valladay, linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball, offensive lineman Chris Glaser, and defensive tackle Bruce Hector. Those players will all be exclusive-rights free agents this offseason.

Instead, they ran the risk of another team offering him a more enticing opportunity, and that's what happened.

Dean was one of the most notable undrafted free agents signed by the Jets following the 2023 NFL Draft. A former five-star recruit, Dean was a regular starter in Florida's defense and was seen as someone who could earn a roster spot after a strong showing in the summer.

Now, he'll have an opportunity to earn playing time for the defending Super Bowl champions. As for Winfrey and Brown, both are likely weighing their options on the open market right now. Winfrey suffered a foot injury last month and is most likely still rehabbing.

The Jets have already come to regret losing another young developmental safety prospect, Jason Pinnock. Here's to hoping Dean doesn't become another missed opportunity for Gang Green.