Jets ready to face free agency with big decisions ahead

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Perhaps more than any executive in the NFL, New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas is under pressure to win now. Not that he needed a reminder, but the message was amplified last month by owner Woody Johnson, who came close to dropping a playoff mandate on his top football man.

Every move by Douglas will be scrutinized more than usual, starting with free agency. The focus will be on the new players they sign -- think hog mollies -- but let's not forget about their own free agents. They have 22 players slated to become unrestricted free agents on March 13.

Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams would've been priority No. 1, but they took care of him last summer with a four-year, $96 million extension. They get points for being proactive.

The Jets will have about $20 million in cap room now that guardLaken Tomlinson's release is official, and they can easily double that figure by restructuring contracts. Williams, linebacker C.J. Mosley and defensive end John Franklin-Myers are the primary candidates.

"I mirror the frustration that Woody has," Douglas said at the combine in Indianapolis last week. "Woody and I talk every day -- just about every day -- and so we're certainly on the same page. I like the position were in. There's a lot of talent coming back to this team. We have to add more to it. We know exactly what we have to do, moving forward."

Time to get to work. The Jets' top free agents:

Bryce Huff, DE

In the locker room after the Jets' season-ending win at the New England Patriots, Huff was asked if he'd give the Jets a "hometown discount" on a potential contract. He seemed taken aback by the question. There will be no discounts, he explained, saying he has worked too hard to leave money on the table.

Huff, who will be 26 next season, is a terrific success story, an undrafted free agent who now could be one of the most coveted pass-rushers on the open market. After earning $6.4 million in his first four seasons, he could land a contract that pays him $15 million annually, according to projections by cap experts.

The Jets said they won't use the franchise tag ($21.3 million) -- with the deadline being Tuesday at 4 p.m. -- but they will try to re-sign their sack leader. The question is: How much will they pay for a situational player (42% of the defensive snaps), especially after investing 2022 and 2023 first-round picks on edge playersJermaine Johnson andWill McDonald IV?

"He definitely deserves this opportunity to see where he is in the open market," said Douglas, who has had multiple discussions with Huff's agent.

So much of the Jets' identity is based on the defensive line, and it would be a tough blow to lose a young, ascending player, especially a homegrown talent.

Mekhi Becton, LT

Douglas' first draft pick looks like a goner.

The Jets are rebuilding their offensive line, and Becton isn't part of Plan A. They're on record as saying they would like to add three starters, meaning guard/tackle Alijah Vera-Tucker and center Joe Tippmann are the only projected starters among the holdovers. At the same time, Becton, a 2020 first-round selection, wouldn't mind a change of scenery.

Becton, who will be 25 next season, reinvented himself, dropping 50 pounds and staying healthy for the first time. There were hiccups along the way -- 12 penalties and 12.5 sacks allowed, per Next Gen Stats -- but he showed flashes of his enormous upside. Someone could get a steal in free agency if his twice-repaired knee holds up.

One-third of the league could be in the left tackle market, including the Jets, but the free agents might not get as much money as they covet because it's a tackle-rich draft. Becton might have to settle for a one-year prove-it deal.

Jordan Whitehead, S

This is his second bite at the free agency apple, and he's still in the prime of his career (27 on March 18). There's some interest in retaining Whitehead, but he's not a high-priority free agent. The Jets are in a tight spot because they have only one experienced safety under contract --Tony Adams.

Joining Whitehead on the open market are Ashtyn Davis and Chuck Clark, who missed the season with a major knee injury. Look for the Jets to re-sign at least one of them.

The best time to re-sign Whitehead would've been before Feb. 16, when his contract voided. That would've enabled them to delay his 2024 cap charge ($3.3 million) to future years. They can still negotiate and agree to a deal, but now it will be counted as a new contract instead of an extension.

Whitehead, who signed a two-year, $14.5 million contract in 2022, gave the Jets what they expected -- a hard-nosed, durable player (missed only a handful of snaps) with limited playmaking ability. He made four interceptions last season, but three came in one game -- more than his total in any of his previous five seasons. Go figure.

He will benefit financially if the top safeties --Xavier McKinney (New York Giants),Antoine Winfield Jr.(Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Kyle Dugger (Patriots) -- get tagged. Whitehead figures to land a deal in the $5 million to $7 million range annually.

Greg Zuerlein, PK;Thomas Morstead, P

Typical Jets luck: They finally get a couple of big-time legs on the roster, and now they face the prospect of losing them.

"I think our three specialists are as good as there is in the league, I really do," said special teams coordinator Brant Boyer, also referring to long snapper Thomas Hennessy.

The Jets will try hard to re-sign Zuerlein, 36, and Morstead, who turns 38 on Friday. They were the team's most effective weapons on those too-many-to-count days in which the offense failed to show up. Zuerlein missed only three field goals, and Morstead was an inside-the-20 machine (a career-high 36 punts).

Zuerlein ($2.6 million) and Morstead ($1.3 million) are coming off one-year deals that placed them 16th and 19th at their respective positions, based on average per year. Clearly, both are in line for raises.

Other key free agents

The only other starter heading to free agency is defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson, who recorded a career-high six sacks as a first- and second-down player. Like Whitehead, his contract voided on Feb. 16. The Jets, hurting for interior depth, would like him back at the right price. Ditto, defensive tackle Solomon Thomas, a key rotational piece.

They have an interesting decision on special teams captain Justin Hardee, who made his first Pro Bowl in 2022 but missed six games because of hamstring surgery in 2023. Hardee, 30, is a heart-and-soul player and has been productive as a gunner, butIrvin Charlesshowed promise in that role during Hardee's absence.

Former starting center Connor McGovern, coming off knee surgery, is a down-the-line depth option.