As is usual when an NFL team undergoes a regime change, there has been no shortage of outside commentary and reactions to what the New York Jets have done this offseason. From hiring of a new head coach and general manager to bringing in a new quarterback, the Jets have been on everyone’s minds more often than in previous years. So far, most of the reactions have been positive, and that trend continues with the latest offseason grades from ESPN.
Seth Walder, an analytics writer for ESPN, graded each team’s offseason based on the changes they’ve made and he gave Gang Green a solid ‘B’ grade. Not spectacular, but better than just the same ol’ Jets.
To justify this grade, Walder writes, “The most important part of the Jets' offseason was them recognizing they needed to reset. It started with a full regime change, Glenn as coach and Darren Mougey as general manager, a given after Woody Johnson rashly fired Robert Saleh after five games in 2024 and followed up by firing GM Joe Douglas shortly after.”
Walder nailed it with that paragraph. Despite football being played on the field, success starts and ends with the coaches and the front office. If your front office can’t identify and bring in the right talent, and if the coaches cannot get the most out of their roster, then even the best players in the league would struggle to win games.
The signing of quarterback Justin Fields also earned praise from Walder, calling him a “long shot… but with the upside to be more”.
So why didn’t the Jets earn an ‘A’ from Walder? Apparently, he thinks the Jets should have already signed Garrett Wilson and Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner to extensions. That feels like a stretch, as if Walder couldn’t find any real complaints with New York’s offseason so decided to nitpick. No, neither Wilson nor Gardner have signed extensions yet, but those are coming down the pipe soon. In fact, it’s been reported that the Jets would like to get both deals done at the same time.
Of course, the Jets still need to prove on the field that they deserve all this praise, but I believe that they will. Hiring Aaron Glenn and signing Justin Fields were two very smart moves that could pay off in spades. The sky is the limit for this head coach-quarterback duo, and that has to get the fans excited.