Day one of the tampering period was good as advertised, despite Bill Belichick signing everyone on the market. Still, the New York Jets and Joe Douglas ended up having a solid day of their own in NFL Free Agency.
The moves began with the signing of former Detroit Lions LB Jarrad Davis to a one-year, $5.5 million deal, but the fans wanted much more than that.
Douglas made more moves later on in Jets free agency, signing a pair of studs in former Tennessee Titans wide receiver Corey Davis and former Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Carl Lawson. This filled arguably some of their biggest needs. The two players are also both entering their prime, as Davis is 26 and Lawson is just 25.
Jets Sign Corey Davis in NFL Free Agency
The Jets brought in Corey Davis on a three-year deal that is worth $37.5 million, with $27 million guaranteed. The former fifth overall draft pick from the 2017 NFL Draft finally broke out after a slow start to his career. The skillset was always there and he has been viewed as one of the better route-runners in the league.
Davis fulfilled that potential by posting career numbers in 2020, having 65 receptions, 984 yards and five touchdowns. He could have easily gone over 1,000 yards if he did not miss two games due to injury. Davis is a big body at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, and is the polished receiver that the Jets were looking for. They might not even be done, as there are still some valuable receivers out there that the team could pair up with Davis and second-year man Denzel Mims, in the events that they do move on from Jamison Crowder.
Jets Sign Carl Lawson in NFL Free Agency
Just an hour later, the Jets would bring in Carl Lawson on a three-year deal worth $45 million, with $30 million. Lawson is someone who is slowly creeping up to star status, and on his second NFL contract, we could see a severe breakout. You may look at 20 sacks in his first four years and question the move. However, it takes time for edge rushers to rack up the sacks. We have seen this be a trend before, most recently being Shaq Barrett. He always had the potential to get to the quarterback but never put up elite sack numbers. Once he left the Denver Broncos and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on his second NFL contract, he blossomed, putting up 19.5 sacks in 2019.
Lawson may not repeat these numbers, but there is plenty of room to grow. On the bright side, he was fourth in total pressures and was number one in getting to the QB from the right side in 2020. Just imagine what Lawson and Quinnen Williams can do in a 4-3 Robert Saleh-schemed defense.
The Jets still have plenty of cap space. They are not done and are expected to make more moves in the near future.
