NY Jets 'have shown a lot of interest' in center Bradley Bozeman

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Bradley Bozeman / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The NY Jets will be looking for offensive line help this offseason, and with free agency right around the corner, they reportedly have their eye on one notable free agent — that player being center Bradley Bozeman.

Pro Football Network's Tony Pauline recently reported that the Jets had "shown a lot of interest" in signing Bozeman who's set to hit free agency after four years with the Baltimore Ravens.

This isn't the only notable center the Jets have been connected to in rumors with the team reportedly very interested in veteran Ryan Jensen before he re-signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Bozeman is young, durable, and should receive a hefty payday. But I'm far from convinced the Jets will make a serious attempt to sign him.

Don't expect the NY Jets to sign Bradley Bozeman

A sixth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Bozeman sat on the sideline as a rookie before taking over the starting left guard job in 2019. He was a mid-tier guard in both 2019 and 2020, but the Ravens decided to shift him over to his natural center position in 2021, the position he played in college.

That proved to be a wise decision as Bozeman put together the best year of his career. The Alabama product was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise dismal, injury-riddled Ravens offensive line.

At just 27-years-old and coming off a career year, Bozeman is expected to have his fair share of suitors on the open market. That's probably doubly true now with Jensen no longer testing free agency.

The Ravens want to re-sign Bozeman, but given the team's limited cap space, it probably just isn't a realistic possibility. The Jets and Cincinnati Bengals are two teams that have been connected to him, but it's hard to see the Jets paying more than their fellow AFC team.

The Bengals have a gaping hole at the center position and will be more motivated to upgrade. As for the Jets, there's a strong argument to make that Bozeman isn't even an upgrade over what they currently have.

Connor McGovern improved significantly in his second year with the Jets, and given that they'd have to release him only to sign Bozeman at a higher price, it seems unlikely that's the route they take.

Much like the Ryan Jensen situation, it seems as though the Jets' interest in the center market has been overblown. Don't expect them to seriously target Bradley Bozeman, despite their reported interest.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.