The Jets made another move on a busy first day of free agency on Monday night, agreeing to a deal that will fill another key need on defense.
The Jets plan to sign former Jaguars starting safety Andre Cisco to a one-year, $10 million deal according to ESPN which first reported the agreement.
It’s the second key move the Jets have made to address their needs in the secondary since the Monday’s negotiating window opened at noon; the Jets also agreed to sign former Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens.
The Cisco addition is similar to the Stephens signing, in that the Jets are buying low on a young defensive player who had a strong season in 2023 only to struggle in 2024.
Cicsco was graded near the bottom of all ranked safeties in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus. But the Jaguars struggled as a whole on defense as their season slipped away.
Now Cisco, who turns 25 later this month and started the last three years for the Jaguars, will get a chance to start anew in the Jets’ defense.
Cisco, who earned All-America recognition and ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors during his freshman season at Syracuse in 2018, was [drafted in the third round](https://www.syracuse.com/orangefootball/2021/05/5-things-to-know-about-andre-cisco-jacksonville-jaguars-3rd-round-draft-pick.html) of the 2021 draft by the Jaguars.
Cisco spent three seasons at Syracuse, though his junior year lasted just two games before he sustained a season-ending knee injury during pregame warm-ups.
Still, Cisco ranks fourth on Syracuse’s career interceptions list with 13.
In 24 games (21 starts) with the Orange, Cisco finished with 136 tackles (94 solo), 29 passes defended, 13 interceptions, 16 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
First-year coach first-year coach Aaron Glenn, a former cornerback, and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, are both known for their hands-on coaching with defensive backs, which should help them mold Cisco and Stephens into their vision for the team’s new defense.
The Jets signing of Stephens was somewhat questionable because they gave two years and more than $23 million guaranteed to bring him in. It’s unclear how much of Cisco’s salary will be guaranteed, but it’s hard to question this decision with only a one-year commitment to a player with high upside.
Cisco had seven interceptions combined in 2022 and 2023 with the Jaguars and has lined up as a free safety for the majority of his career.
In four seasons with the team, Cisco appeared in 63 games (47 starts) and had eight interceptions, 24 pass breakups and three forced fumbles.
Cisco will be a favorite to land the free safety job for the Jets, who also put a rite-of-first-refusal tender on versatile safety Tony Adams on Monday (giving them the opportunity to match any offer for Adams in free agency and guaranteeing his $3.2 million salary for 2025).