Darron Lee did not come close to living up to his potential in his first go-around with the Jets. Now he wants a second chance to make things right with the team that drafted him.
Lee took to Twitter on Thursday to campaign for a return to the Big Apple and a chance to play for Robert Saleh. The 26-year-old fell well short of expectations playing for Todd Bowles, but he believes a second stint with New York would bring out the best version of himself.
“#JetsNation didn’t get the full DLee,” Lee tweeted. “If Saleh would have me? I would come and deliver. I promise.”
Pegged as an ideal fit in Bowles’ defense due to his versatility coming out of Ohio State, Lee’s progression in New York ran stagnant. He was the lowest-graded rookie inside linebacker in the NFL by Pro Football Focus in 2016 and ranked 87th out of 88 qualified inside linebackers in 2017. Lee hit rock bottom in 2018, as he was hit with a four-game PED suspension to end the year. The Jets proceeded to decline his fifth-year option and traded Lee to the Chiefs in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft — a pick that was subsequently traded to the Colts for Quincy Wilson.
Lee won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs in 2019, but he did little to contribute throughout the season and was inactive for the big game. Kansas City did not re-sign Lee when he hit free agency last March and was suspended for the first four weeks of the 2020 season. He caught on with the Bills in November and was elevated to Buffalo’s active roster in Weeks 10 and 12, but was sent back down to the practice squad after each game.
The Jets could benefit from adding some inside linebacker depth this offseason, but Lee is likely not the answer they are looking for. Even with a new regime in place at One Jets Drive, it’s safe to assume any chance Lee gets to revive his carer in 2021 won’t come with New York.
