Monday, March 11th opened the NFL off-season’s legal tampering period. The purpose is to allow teams to communicate with agents to agree to contracts and trades formally. However, the exception is they can’t sign the contracts until Wednesday before the new league year begins. Within a few hours, the league was buzzing with major announcements. Kirk Cousins leaving Minnesota for Atlanta. Philadelphia gaining beloved New York players in Giants running back Saquon Barkley and breakout Jets edge rusher Bryce Huff. Josh Jacobs leaving the Raiders to replace Aaron Jones as Green Bay’s lead running back. Alas, it was a quiet day for the New York Jets. Fans worried the team would miss out as major offensive linemen agreed to new deals. However, Joe Douglas managed to sneak some significant moves before midnight.
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After finishing with another losing record, it was evident what had to be addressed. Three of the largest needs from this Jets offseason that had to be addressed were offensive line, backup quarterback, and wide receiver. The offensive line had the most traction on Monday with major names leaving the market. The Rams signed Lions guard Jonah Jackson to reunite with Matthew Stafford. In addition, offensive tackle Michael Onwenu remained in New England on a three-year contract extension. On top of it, the center market took a hit with Mitch Morse signing with Jacksonville. Despite this, there are options to address the group and it came around 11:30 pm EST.
Jets sign offensive guard John Simpson
A lot went into Lamar Jackson capturing his second Most Valuable Player award in Baltimore. Adding Zay Flowers and Isiah Likely allowed the Ravens’ offense to thrive in Todd Monken’s schemes. A catalyst of this was a great offensive line. As a result, Joe Douglas signed Ravens left guard John Simpson to a two-year deal. A graduate of Clemson, Simpson played on two national championship teams for the Tigers in 2016 and 2018. He became a Consensus All-American who was selected by the Raiders in the 2020 draft. Released in 2022, Simpson had a bounceback season starting all 19 games at left guard. This addressed a major need in the Jets offseason.
Help for Aaron Rodgers: Veteran OL John Simpson is signing with the #Jets on a two-year deal worth up to $18 million, per his agent @KyleStrongin with @RangeSportsRMP.
Simpson started all 19 games last season for Baltimore at left guard, where he’s expected to play in New York. pic.twitter.com/6BNXbhmVMR
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 12, 2024
His abilities as a run blocker will be crucial for the running game. Simpson allowed only one sack through 1,242 snaps this season. An interior offensive line consisting of Simpson, Tippmann at center, and Vera-Tucker at right guard will create more opportunities for Breece Hall. Pair that trio with Taliese Fuaga or Joe Alt, that’s good news for Aaron Rodgers this season. Time will tell but a strong first step for New York’s offense during the Jets offseason.
Jets sign quarterback Tyrod Taylor
2023 reminded the league of why the backup quarterback position is important. Over half the league’s week-one quarterbacks were injured in no less than one game. Quarterback depth is the difference-maker in the league. The Raiders signed Gardner Mineshew to compete for their starting job. Russell Wilson is competing with Kenny Pickett in Pittsburgh. The Jaguars traded for Mac Jones from New England. Action needed to be taken. The Jets offseason couldn’t succeed without a back quarterback. Fortunately, Joe Douglas solved that problem with an old friend.
Aaron Rodgers has a new backup: The #Jets have agreed to terms with veteran Tyrod Taylor, per sources. pic.twitter.com/77evRWqVOi
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 12, 2024
New York signed veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor from the New York Giants. Joe Douglas was a scout in Baltimore during Taylor’s first four seasons in the league. Spending the last two seasons in New York, Taylor returned to the starting role after Daniel Jones tore his ACL. He appeared sporadically competing with Tommy DeVito. No longer the Pro Bowl-level talent of his Bills days, Taylor has over a decade of experience and appeared in over 90 NFL games. His abilities to extend plays will be useful in contrast to Aaron Rodgers if they need him in short-yardage plays. Taylor can be relied upon to keep the offense afloat if Rodgers gets hurt.
Work to be done
It’s hard to fault Joe Douglas for his efforts thus far. Simpson is a reliable veteran guard who can help the offensive line. Tyrod Taylor is an experienced quarterback who can backup Aaron Rodgers. This isn’t the final product. Taylor’s injury history makes it hard to enter the season with two quarterbacks. At 34 years old, he’s not an option as a long-term replacement for Aaron Rodgers. It’s imperative that New York address the quarterback position in the draft.
As the offseason continues, the offensive line market becomes more transparent. The Jets added a major piece at starting guard thanks to Simpson. Soon, the offensive tackles will be situated. Mekhi Becton is a free agent so that leaves both tackle positions open. Names like Tyron Smith, Jonah Williams, and Andrus Peat are all available. One will be sufficient enough, as the other starting tackle spot can be addressed through the draft. A player of Joe Alt or Taliese Fuaga’s caliber with this group can be difference-making. Nathaniel Hackett and Aaron Rodgers will need to rely upon this offensive line to give this championship-caliber defense some assistance. Time will tell if it’s enough.
Main Photo: [Scott Galvin] – USA Today Sports
