Thanks in part to Aaron Rodgers and his say on acquisitions, the Jets had no choice but to lean on their veterans in 2024. With Aaron Glenn now controlling the show (and Rodgers no longer on the roster), the team is hoping to be a bit more reliant on their youth in 2025 and beyond.
As ESPN’s Rich Cimini notes, the Jets entered last season with 12 players aged 30 or older. At the moment, the team only has five such players: quarterback Tyrod Taylor (36), long-snapper Thomas Hennessy (31), wide receiver Allen Lazard (30), wide receiver Josh Reynolds (30), and guard Zack Bailey (30). After finishing last season with the NFL’s eighth-oldest roster, Cimini writes that the Jets are currently armed with the league’s fourth-youngest squad.
The team’s approach is somewhat by design, and Glenn said he won’t be afraid to use his inexperienced players in 2025.
“Listen, do we want younger players? Absolutely. It’s a young man’s game,” Glenn told Cimini. “It’s a young man’s game, but we want players that can help us win. So if those players happen to be 30 years old, we get those players. It just so happened that we got younger while we got players that could help us win.”
More notes out of New York…
In that same article, Cimini notes that the Jets front office was especially aggressive in the UDFA pool this offseason. While a $200K guarantee is considered a significant payday for undrafted players, Cimini observes that the Jets gave out that kind of money to three rooks: guard Leander Wiegand ($249K), defensive tackle Payton Page ($201K), and edge rusher Ja’Markis Weston ($200K).
While Darren Mougey is just about done with his first offseason as Jets GM, the executive continues to add to his staff. According to insider Neil Stratton, the Jets have hired TJ McCreight in an unspecified executive role. McCreight brings more than 25 years of NFL experience in stops with the Colts, Ravens, Eagles, and Cardinals. Per ESPN’s Seth Walder, the Jets also hired former NFL consultant Sean Clement into a director-level analytics role. The organization is also promoting from within, as Stratton notes that former player personnel assistant Thomas Witty has been promoted to a pro scout role.
We heard recently that the Jets started engaging in contract talks with wideout Garrett Wilson. Our own Nikhil Mehta explored Wilson’s extension candidacy yesterday.