One of the stories of the Jets offseason has been the exodus of players. Well, one of those familiar faces is coming back.
The Jets and outside linebacker Calvin Pace agreed to terms on a one-year deal yesterday, according to multiple sources.
Jets general manager John Idzik released Pace in February as part of the team’s salary-cap purge. Pace was scheduled to have a $11.6 million cap figure in 2013, the final year of his contract. It is unknown how much Pace is now getting, but you can bet it is way, way lower than that.
Pace’s return gives coach Rex Ryan another player he knows well back on his defense. The team has lost six starters on that side of the ball this offseason, a number that could rise to seven if cornerback Darrelle Revis is traded as expected.
The Jets signed Pace, 32, as a free agent in 2008 to bolster their pass rush. They gave him a six-year, $42 million deal then. Pace never became the pass rusher the Jets hoped he would.
Even with Pace’s shortcomings as a pass rusher, he has been a reliable player for the Jets and gives them another veteran to mentor the Jets’ young defensive players. Pace rarely leaves the field, playing 94 percent of the team’s defensive snaps last season.
Pace’s signing should not affect the Jets’ draft plans, which many people believe includes taking an outside linebacker with the No. 9 pick overall. It remains a position of need.
The Jets have not brought back veteran Bryan Thomas, who is a free agent. They signed Antwan Barnes this offseason, leaving them Pace, Barnes, Garrett McIntyre and Ricky Sapp as their candidates for two starting spots.
The Jets have been linked with LSU’s Barkevious Mingo and Oregon’s Dion Jordan as possible draft picks at the position. Georgia’s Jarvis Jones also is a possibility.