Unlike his predecessor, Jets general manager Joe Douglas is not a big fan of handing out lengthy contracts.
Douglas spoke via conference call on Wednesday to discuss New York’s dealings in free agency and preparations for the 2020 NFL Draft. During the call, Douglas divulged his preference for handing out short-term contracts to free agents, citing the malleability it allows him to work with moving forward.
“We feel these signings give us flexibility in the draft,” Douglas said of the many one-year deals he has handed out.
Not only do short-term contracts give Douglas the flexibility to approach the draft as he wishes, but they also allow New York to start building for the future sooner rather than late. Douglas said the one-year contracts he dished out will allow the Jets to re-sign players in the middle of the season.
What exactly does that mean? If Douglas likes what he sees out of a player in the middle of the year, he can extend him with a contract he deems appropriate, giving him a head start on building the following year’s roster before the offseason rolls around.
Short-term contracts also afford Douglas some much-needed financial flexibility. They allow the Jets to avoid keeping underperforming players on their books for longer than needed. They also prevent a lucrative contract from hampering New York’s ability to spend when needed.
“Our plan was to be strategic and disciplined,” Douglas said. “We wanted to be disciplined financially.”
Douglas and the Jets certainly stuck to their guns and remained disciplined throughout the first wave of free agency. Even some of the multi-year deals Douglas handed out, like George Fant’s, are essentially one-year contracts based on the allocation of guaranteed money.
Spending a lot of money in free agency during the spring does not always equate to wins. Douglas’ approach to his first free agency and his firmness in not going over the dollar amount he believes a player is worth indicates he is well aware of this.
Not every contract Douglas hands out in his tenure as Jets general manager is going to be a short one. At some point, Douglas is going to have to expand his spending to land a player he desires. With that being said, let Douglas’ first go-around in free agency serve as a message to a fanbase that got used to Mike Maccagnan spending lump sums on free agents every offseason.
Douglas is going to go about his business in a way that not only helps the Jets win now, but allows the organization to maintain the finances to help it be a winner in the future as well.
