Much of the talk surrounding former Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan’s tenure with the team centers around his many misses in free agency, trades that didn’t work out and puzzling mid-round draft selections.
Lost in all of the criticism are the good moves that Maccagnan made. It’s easy to harp on the negatives, but the positives deserve attention as well. Maccagnan’s shortcomings led to his dismissal, but he did do well to add some talent and make some shrewd moves to help New York.
With that being said, let’s take a look at some of the highlights of Maccagnan’s time with the Jets.
Trading up from No. 6 to No. 3
In need of a quarterback, Maccagnan got aggressive and traded with the Indianapolis Colts to jump from No. 6 to No. 3 in the 2018 NFL draft. The trade netted the Jets their quarterback of the future in Sam Darnold and should be considered the highlight of Maccagnan’s time with New York.
The Jets got lucky that Darnold dropped to No. 3, but that doesn’t take away from Maccagnan’s work here. Even if New York did not land Darnold, they likely would’ve come away with No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield or even Josh Allen, who showed promise in his rookie year with the Buffalo Bills. Maccagnan did his job and put the Jets in a position to land a talented quarterback.
New York has been searching for a franchise quarterback since Joe Namath’s departure. Thanks to Maccagnan, it looks like the Jets finally have their guy.
A trio of draft successes
Sam Darnold was not Maccagnan’s only draft success story. He also landed three players who are major pieces of the franchise’s future in Leonard Williams, Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye.
Maccagnan went with the best player available to land both Williams and Adams in the first round. Williams endured a rough 2018 campaign, but remains a major part of New York’s defense. Adams, meanwhile, has emerged as the Jets’ undisputed leader and best player on defense. His partner, Marcus Maye, has produced when healthy and figures to be back to form in 2019.
Building the core of an NFL defense is not easy. Thanks to smart decision making and a little bit of luck, Maccagnan landed three solid defenders the Jets can count on.
Signing Robby Anderson
Once upon a time, Jets wide receiver and Twitter legend Robby Anderson was a little known undrafted free agent out of Temple. Maccagnan took a chance on him in 2015 and the move has paid off in spades.
In three years, Anderson has emerged as a top option in New York’s passing attack. He still has some work to do to reach his full potential, but Anderson is the vertical threat that the Jets desperately needed.
Undrafted free agents seldom stick and make the kind of impact Anderson has in New York. Kudos to Maccagnan for identifying a talented player and giving him the opportunity to prove himself.
Giving Austin Seferian-Jenkins a second chance
From a football standpoint, Austin Seferian-Jenkins was a solid starting tight end in his time with the Jets. He was also a much-needed veteran leader on a young team. However, the impact of Maccagnan’s decision to claim Seferian-Jenkins off waivers in 2015 goes well beyond football.
Following a DUI arrest, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers waived Seferian-Jenkins, putting his NFL career in the balance. Seferian-Jenkins was heading down the dark path of alcoholism and needed someone to take a chance on him. Maccagnan was that guy and the Jets opened Seferian-Jenkins into their organization with open arms.
Maccagnan knew the severity of what Seferian-Jenkins was dealing with when he claimed him. He knew Seferian-Jenkins was facing a long road to recovery, but stuck with him every step of the way and gave him the opportunity to get back on track both on the football field and in life.
Who knows if anyone else would’ve taken a chance on Seferian-Jenkins. Thanks in part to Maccagnan and the Jets, he was able to overcome his demons and turned his life around.
