NY Jets GM Joe Douglas hints at an aggressive offseason approach

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.