When the new league year begins on March 13 and free agency officially opens up, the Jets are supposed to be one of the most aggressive teams after some of the top names on the market. And their GM, Mike Maccagnan, confirmed that at the NFL Combine on Wednesday.
Maccagnan and his franchise have everything to work with this offseason to lure free agents: loads of cap space (estimated at about $102 million by OverTheCap.com), a fresh coaching staff that includes head coach Adam Gase and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams leading the way, and a young core that touts players like Sam Darnold and Jamal Adams.
The Jets haven't been to the playoffs in three straight seasons, but that streak could end next season if the Jets land the players the desire on the market. Maccagnan said a plan is in place.
Now, it's all about executing it.
"We have a lot of cap space and we have a plan for what we want to try to accomplish in free agency," Maccagnan said. "I think we'll be very active in free agency. I think we're going to definitely -- there's a lot of different players out there we feel very strong about that can help us. But again, you don't know how those markets will develop. So I think from our standpoint it's always trying to make sure we do deals that are -- they may be viewed as being aggressive but they're deals we feel good about going forward."
Maccagnan wants the Jets to be "well-positioned" for years to come, and that means building around those young players the franchise cherishes so much. In doing so, a playoff berth should be expected each year.
"But I definitely think how we build this we definitely want to have a team that's going to be well-positioned. So it's a young core going forward that can compete for the playoffs on a yearly basis, but I think there's a lot of opportunities in this free agency we're excited about."