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Unbridled optimism is a core tenet of the NFL offseason. Opportunity is the oxygen that makes it all possible, but change is the kindling and good-process decisions fuel that fire.
The New York Jets hired head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey to end the 14-year playoff drought and the organization's prolonged date with futility. They won't be the first administration tasked with doing so. They may not be the last. In the meantime, they are hoping to prove that these aren't the same old Jets.
New York keeps sending messages
Glenn and Mougey made a strong first impression by moving on from quarterback Aaron Rodgers. It would be impossible for a regime to instill a new culture with Rodgers in the building. He is the culture.
His replacement, Justin Fields, isn't a guaranteed upgrade. But his ability to impact the run game and offer competence at a fringe-starter salary offers the Jets upside. Ultimately, opening the door to establish their vision doesn't have a price.
A modest batch of free agents moved that cause along, and the early-round investments into right tackle Armand Membou and tight end Mason Taylor earned rave reviews. That won't matter much until September, when both are expected to crack the starting lineup.
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Early in the offseason, New York sent the message that there were no sheriffs in town. In the middle of June, the Jets learned that the new men in charge had been received well.
On Monday, New York extended receiver Garrett Wilson to a four-year, $130 million extension. A day later, his co-star, cornerback Sauce Gardner, inked a similar deal for four years and $120.4 million. Both contracts will keep them in East Rutherford through 2030.
Gardner's deal has set the market at his position. Wilson fell in line behind Ja'Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, and DK Metcalf. By signing the two ahead of their fourth seasons and proceeding fifth-year options, the Jets will have them under team control for six seasons and pay the most expensive years at an even smaller percentage of the salary cap.
Either one could have held out and waited for other stars to get paid, driving up the price. They could have gone public with negotiations, or set the stage for a holdout, or ask to be traded. Given the disasters they've witnessed in New York, the uncertain nature of a new administration, and the ongoing search for a franchise quarterback, few would have batted an eye.
Millions of dollars are always hard to turn down. But extending now, and doing so quietly, is meaningful for Mougey and Glenn as they usher in a new era of Jets football. It's a sign that their message is resonating and that there's a newfound trust after the deterioration they've witnessed since being drafted in the first round in 2022.
Things like culture, toughness, and leadership are buzzwords. They're given real meaning with action and evidence, like two stars signing team-friendly deals before they have to. There's real reason for optimism in New York, and both Wilson and Garrett will have plenty of time to make good on it.
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