NY Jets GM Joe Douglas hints at an aggressive offseason approach

The NY Jets don't feel like they are just a few players away from being playoff contenders next season. That's the sobering reality heading into this offseason. The numbers don't lie. The Jets have won six games in their last two seasons, and that's direct proof of the team's lack of talent. 

The Jets' lack of success the last two years was a significant talking point for general manager Joe Douglas after the season ended. To his credit, Douglas owned it — he didn't run from the team's poor results, and the truth is that he can't.

Although expectations were tempered heading into 2021, the Jets were one of the league's worst teams and have several deficiencies on their roster heading into next season because Douglas and his staff have had mixed results in building the Jets' roster from the ground up.

Reading the tea leaves from the Jets' season-ending press conference with Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh, you get the sense that they realize that as well.

"I think we're always going to be aggressive if the right opportunity presents itself. The good thing is that I think moving forward, we can be in just about any discussion when it comes to player trades."

Joe Douglas

After all, during the post-2021 season media gathering, Douglas hinted at the team potentially using their draft assets to acquire proven NFL talent through trade. A hint that the team is willing to entertain trading away draft capital for safer proven commodities. 

The slight shift in team philosophy is the realization that the draft alone and relying on rookies and young players won't change or expedite the team's trajectory into being contenders. 

The NY Jets have reaped the rewards of a promising 2021 NFL Draft class

When it comes to the Jets' draft-first philosophy, there's no doubt that they saw positive results from their 2021 class.

Quarterback Zach Wilson, who was largely underwhelming at specific points of the year, showed some promising signs of growth and progress by the end of the season.

The rookie signal-caller had to deal with a lot of adversity, and he played primarily error-free football down the stretch while showing brief glimpses of brilliance with his arm and legs.

The question now becomes, can Zach Wilson take the next step and become a dynamic quarterback because that's the expectation level being picked second overall. The Jets organization needs to give Wilson no excuses in 2022.

They have to make it nearly impossible for him to fail by surrounding him with as much talent as possible. That should be goals one, two, three, four, and five this offseason for the Jets football brain trust.

Other players from the 2021 draft class like running back Michael Carter, wide receiver Elijah Moore, offensive guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, cornerback Michael Carter II, cornerback Brandin Echols, and others had fantastic first-year campaigns.

And Joe Douglas and his staff need to deliver the same results in their upcoming crop of players in the 2022 NFL Draft. Having the Jets coaching staff and personnel department deeply entrenched in the Senior Bowl will help towards that end.

The 2020 NFL Draft class has not produced the same results for the NY Jets

However, the disappointing returns on the Jets 2020 class have the team looking at a potential alternate route toward upgrading the roster. 

Jets fans don't like to contemplate this, but the jury is still out on one of their most promising players, left tackle Mekhi Becton. He might never live up to his billing. Becton needs to get healthy and perform at an elite level to match the high investment that the team made in drafting him two years ago.

If he doesn't, and he hasn't to this point, it will set the franchise back. Becton was supposed to be a cornerstone player to build an entire offensive line and weekly game plan around, similar to that of Trent Williams in San Francisco. The truth is that he hasn't been.

Notwithstanding the uncertainty attached to Becton, the vast majority of the Jets' 2020 class leaves a lot to be desired, and it has short and potential long-term effects on the franchise. Douglas and the personnel department needed to hit on their 2020 class, and they haven't to this point.

The most disappointing player on New York's roster is 2020 second-round wide receiver Denzel Mims. You could argue that he wouldn't have been on the team in 2021 if not for his draft status. And there's significant doubt as to whether he will be when the regular season starts in 2022.

Except for Bryce Hall, who has turned into one of the league's best young cornerbacks, and perhaps punter Braden Mann, the rest of the 2020 Jets draft class is filled with players who are barely roster-worthy in safety Ashtyn Davis, defensive end Jabari Zuniga, and running back La'Mical Perine.

Quarterback James Morgan, taken in the fourth round, is no longer on the team. Unfortunately, fourth-round offensive lineman Cameron Clark is coming off a severe injury last summer. But before that, Clark was struggling to make his way up the bottom of the depth chart. 

If you are looking to build a contending team through the draft, you can't miss the way the Jets and Joe Douglas appear to have at this point with their first group of hand-picked players.

If it wasn't for the poor returns from the 2020 class, the Jets would undoubtedly feel more secure about their chances of contending in 2022. Hence, Joe Douglas entertaining a potential philosophy shift as the franchise seeks a way out of prolonged darkness. 

Joe Douglas is trying to balance the NY Jets' rebuild

The Jets are walking a fine line in their current rebuild. They are trying to build the team the right way by avoiding going for a quick fix, a strategy that has previously hurt the franchise. 

In 2015, just a few years removed from one of the franchise's best runs towards the Lombardi Trophy, New York hit the open market aggressively, trading for Brandon Marshall and bringing back old warhorses like Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie.

The Jets got to 10 wins that year and nearly made the playoffs, and it's the only time in the last decade-plus that the franchise has been in contention late in a season to get back into the tournament.

However, the all-in approach had no lasting power as the franchise couldn't sustain its flash in the pan success. It all fell apart quickly. 

Overspending in free agency and the veteran trade market can be fools gold for NFL teams, and it's an act of desperation for success-starved franchises that rarely pans out.

Most good NFL teams who have had sustainable success over the last several years, like Green Bay, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh, have done so by drafting elite players.

But now and again, an opportunity to trade for an elite player like Minkah Fitzpatrick or Stefon Diggs presents itself, and the Jets are actively seeking that opportunity in 2022. 

Heading into this offseason, the Jets have tons of projected cap room, nearly $70 million, and the great luxury of having four of the top-38 draft picks in this year's draft. By default, the Jets are positioned to improve the talent on their roster.

And if the team can finally avoid the bad luck they have encountered with injuries the last few years, they actually might get a chance to see the players they draft and sign, get on the field, and play. 

Expect Joe Douglas and the NY Jets to be more aggressive this offseason

The Jets will undoubtedly be players in the free-agent market. However, another doorway has officially been opened. During Joe Douglas' run as general manager, making player trades hasn't been a forbidden door, but the team hasn't been aggressive in adding elite players through the trade market.

The Jets have been sellers and stockpilers for the last few years. Douglas has made some minor under-the-radar deals and some significant ones, like netting the franchise its best draft assets in dealing away Sam Darnold and Jamal Adams. 

However, to this point, trading for talented elite young players hasn't been in the cards for the Jets and Joe Douglas until possibly now.

Many names are already being thrown out there as trade possibilities for the Jets, like Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley, among others. But the Jets may also look to target players approaching contract years or ones with significant salaries on cap-strapped teams.

For example, teams like the Steelers might be headed towards a substantial rebuild in 2022. And they could be looking to part ways with players like linebacker Devin Bush and wide receiver Chase Claypool. Names like these will be on the Jets' radar. 

Trying to win more games by bolstering your roster through trade without sacrificing your future is a delicate balance. However, the bottom line is that the Jets don't want to be conducting a season-ending press conference a year from now, where they are reflecting on another 4-13 season.

Therefore, don't be surprised if the Jets utilize their current and future assets to get better in a hurry. It's in play for the next phase. 

The win-loss record didn't matter in 2021, and it never did. The season for the Jets was about growing from within and for the future. However, the future is now, and the wins and losses will matter more in 2022.

The Cincinnati Bengals' rise from four wins in 2020 to the playoffs this year gives the Jets hope that they can do the same in 2022. But it won't happen until the team drastically improves from its current standing by exhausting every avenue possible.

By the sounds of it, that's where the Jets are headed.