Joe Douglas made headlines this past season when he boldly stated he would always pick up the phone to discuss trades for any of his players. While he categorically stated this past week that he wouldn’t trade the two focal points of the trade deadline in 2019 – Jamal Adams and Le’Veon Bell – Douglas will likely field calls on other players this summer in his quest to build a competitive team.
The Jets don’t have many tradable assets this offseason besides Adams and Bell, so the trade market for Douglas’ players isn’t great. He’ll likely look to offload expendable and expensive players who were darlings of the previous regime in order to acquire additional draft capital.
With that in mind, here are five players the Jets could trade this offseason.
ILB Avery Williamson
Williamson is also a salary cap cut candidate but could be a good trade chip if a team values a productive, veteran inside linebacker. He’s still a good linebacker and is only 27 years old and led the Jets with 144 tackles in 2018 before missing the 2019 season with a torn ACL.
For the Jets, this would be a way to shed Williamson’s $8.5 million cap hit without incurring the $2 million dead cap hit that would come with cutting him. They would also recoup some sort of compensation. He’d be a great addition to any defense, but it’s unclear if he has any trade value other than a late-round pick.
DE Henry Anderson
Anderson disappointed a year after the Jets re-signed him to a three-year, $25 million contract and his safety on the team could be in doubt with the new front office and coaching staff. After a breakout 2018 campaign that included seven sacks and 16 quarterback hits, Anderson’s totals dropped to one sack and nine quarterback hits.
The Jets could try to shop Anderson given his usage in Gregg Williams’ defense and the bounty of younger and cheaper defensive ends on the roster. Anderson’s snap total dropped from 59.64 percent in 2018 to only 40.60 percent despite starting 10 more games this past season. He also never played more than 47 snaps in a game in 2018 a year after doing that five times for Kacy Rodgers and Todd Bowles.
S Marcus Maye
Teams inquired about Maye in October but the Jets said he wasn’t available, according to ESPN. Douglas said he’ll always pick up the phone on a possible trade, though, meaning more teams could make offers for the young safety. Maye had a bounce-back season in 2019 after an injury-filled year before – he finished with 65 combined tackles, seven pass breakups and one interception. His value might never be higher and he’ll only be 27 by the beginning of the 2020 season.
Williams, Douglas and Gase will likely want to keep their young safety duo intact, so the odds of Maye being traded are slim to none. But if a team like the Cowboys come knocking with a great offer, Douglas might have to jump at the opportunity.
CB Trumaine Johnson
This trade would be Douglas’ last-ditch effort to rid themselves of Johnson and his gaudy contract without being hit with a $12 million cap hit. The only way the Jets could pull this off, though, is if they sweeten the trade by offering teams a draft pick to take on the contract, much like what the Texans did by trading Brock Osweiler and a second-round pick to the Browns in 2017.
Johnson could still be a good cornerback, but he’s too expensive and ineffective to stay with the Jets. A team like the Dolphins, Buccaneers or Giants would be the only teams interested in an unlikely trade like this one.
WR Robby Anderson
Although Anderson will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, the Jets can still trade him this summer if they sign him to the franchise tag and send him to a team that really wants him. It happened three times in 2019 and could happen again if someone doesn’t want to risk missing out on Anderson in free agency.
Unfortunately, the potential franchise tag cost for a wide receiver this offseason would be almost $18.5 million, per Over the Cap, a hefty price for a player who is only expected to command a $13-$15 million annual salary. This move is incredibly unlikely for the Jets, though they do have until March 12 – six days before free agency begins – to decide on tagging, re-signing or letting Anderson walk.
.jpg?w=600)
