Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan had been waiting for this week for a long time.
Last year, he tore down his roster, parting ways with some very popular, longtime Jets like Nick Mangold, Darrelle Revis and David Harris. He had to endure the accusations the team was “tanking.” He had to listen to the predictions of 0-16.
But he knew March 2018 provided hope. He knew the Jets would have a load of cap space to improve their roster.
“We made a lot of very tough decisions last year, sort of retooling the roster with the idea that after we got through last year, we’d get to this season when we have a lot of cap space and cash to potentially work with,” Maccagnan said at the scouting combine.
Maccagnan used that cash and cap space aggressively but judiciously in the early days of free agency. Unlike his spending spree in 2015, he handed out just one monster deal to cornerback Trumaine Johnson (five years, $72.5 million) while filling other holes with more modest deals that could look like steals if they work out. He found a new starter at cornerback (Johnson), center (Spencer Long), middle linebacker (Avery Williamson) and running back (Isaiah Crowell). All of them are 28 years or younger, meaning they can be part of the young core the Jets are building.
The fourth-year general manager whiffed on his No. 1 target, Kirk Cousins, but it was not for lack of trying. The Jets offered more money than the Vikings, but Cousins ultimately chose Minnesota. One league source said Wednesday that Cousins was turned off by the New York market.
You can’t blame Maccagnan for that.
The Jets and Maccagnan bounced back quickly after being rebuffed by Cousins, signing Teddy Bridgewater and re-signing Josh McCown, both to one-year deals. The quarterback plan is far from foolproof, but shows a certain creativity for which Maccagnan deserves credit. McCown had his best season with the Jets last year, and Bridgewater is like a lottery ticket that could be a winner if he can return to the promise he showed before his devastating left knee injury in 2016.
So far, I’d give Maccagnan a solid B for his effort. But his work is far from done. He still needs a tight end, defensive end, cornerback and kicker, by my estimation.
Oh yeah, he still needs to find a franchise quarterback, too. And ultimately this is what will determine whether Maccagnan can truly last as Jets GM.
Maccagnan was in Norman, Okla., on Wednesday, attending Baker Mayfield’s Pro Day. It was a symbolic shift in focus for Maccagnan. After shoring up some of his roster holes, now he needs to turn to the big one, the one that has befuddled this franchise for 40 years.
McCown and Bridgewater are nice bridge quarterbacks for 2018, but Maccagnan must find the guy at the other side of that bridge for 2019 and beyond. The Jets will either have to take a quarterback at No. 6 or, more likely, move up to take their top quarterback in the top five. The Browns, Giants and Broncos all could be in the market for a quarterback in the draft, and the Bills are clearly trying to work their way into the top five.
Maccagnan has the draft picks to move up. Waiting for your quarterback to fall to you in the draft feels like a thing of the past. In the past two years we’ve seen the Rams, Eagles, Bears, Chiefs and Texans all trade up to get their quarterback in the first round.
This week was a good, not great, start to the offseason for Maccagnan. The final grade won’t be known, though, until we see if he can land a franchise quarterback in the draft next month. That would be acing the final exam.