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The Jets will wrap up their "virtual" offseason program this week, concluding perhaps the strangest offseason in their history. It has undoubtedly left them with many unanswered questions.
Here, in my latest SNY Jets mailbag, are just a few:
Is Jamal still holding out as of now? Or did he end up showing up considering there hasn't been much drama recently with him? -- @_ryanmartin_
From what I understand, yes, Jamal Adams has refused to participate in the Jets' "virtual" offseason program. It's not really a holdout, though, since the program is voluntary. And the reason there hasn't been "much drama" is that there really hasn't been a flashpoint. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, teams couldn't hold their mandatory, in-person minicamps.
It certainly would've been interesting to see if Adams decided to attend that.
The next time there's likely to be "drama" is the start of training camp. Then we'll find out if Adams is willing to actually hold out, or whether he'll create any drama by showing up and expressing his unhappiness about his contract situation. For now, though, there's nothing happening. He wants a contract extension and the Jets have no intention of giving him one right now.
Eventually, yes. But now? No.
Will Mims prove to be a legitimate contributor in year one? -- @ZuppardiMatthew
I think he will be a big contributor at some point in Year 1. He might be held back a little by not having a true offseason program, but I think with his size, speed and skills, the Jets are going to count on him. They really don't have a choice.
If scouts are right about him, he simply can do things the Jets' other receivers can't. Jamison Crowder is the Jets' slot receiver, which is basically the No. 1 receiver in Adam Gase's offense. And Breshad Perriman is mostly a Robby Anderson-like deep threat. Now maybe he can be more. He showed that potential toward the end of last season, but it's unknown if he can do that on a regular basis.
Mims can fill a lot of categories. He can be a possession receiver, a red-zone threat, and he's even got the speed to go deep. He's got the skill set to be the best receiver the Jets have. And they have to work him in quickly because they don't have a deep receiving corps. There's really nothing beyond those three.
If the season starts poorly (1-3, 2-5) can you see them getting rid of Gase and letting Gregg (Williams) take over for the rest of the year? -- @newyorkbrett
I don't, unless it's a real disaster with infighting and obvious poor coaching. I don't think there's any appetite in the organization for another quick coaching change. And I don't get the sense Joe Douglas is the kind of GM to make one. In-season changes almost never work anyway, even if they happen early. Besides, remember, there's an extra playoff team in each conference this season. So 1-3 or 2-5 doesn't exactly put them out of the race.
A better question is whether Douglas would get rid of Gase at the end of the year if it's another bad season. That's a good question. Douglas and Gase are friends, and Gase had a lot of influence over the decision to hire Douglas. But Douglas didn't hire Gase. If the Jets end up under .500 and miss the playoffs, it's entirely possible Douglas will make a change.
The circumstances -- like injuries -- will matter. But I wouldn't rule it out.
Video: Denzel Mims: Darnold's going to be my new best friend
What position still worries you for this season? -- @ZapJudah
Receiver is definitely my biggest concern. I know the Jets don't have an edge rusher either, and that's not a small deal. But I saw enough from Williams' defense last season to believe that it can function without one. He was creative enough, and good enough at maximizing his players' abilities to generate a decent pass rush most of the time.
But this receiving group is thin and underwhelming. I like Crowder as the slot receiver, and know he can put up big numbers in Gase's scheme. The fact that he only averaged 10.7 yards per catch last season concerns me, though. I thought he had the breakaway speed and moves to do better than that.
I'm intrigued by Perriman, who had 25 catches for 506 yards and five touchdowns in the final five games last season, but his career suggests that's more of an anomaly than anything else. And then there's Mims, who I like a lot, but he's still a rookie.
And that's really it.
They're counting on a lot -- Crowder to put up better numbers, Perriman to prove his last five games weren't a fluke, and Mims becoming a star as a rookie. And there's no safety net because they have no depth. One injury to a key receiver and Gase's offense could be in a lot of trouble.
Do the Jets make the playoffs? Everyone is saying no, but I see all of the teams on their schedule as pretenders this year, not contenders -- @Werewolf_King
All those teams are pretenders, huh? The Chiefs and 49ers are coming off a Super Bowl, and the Bills and Seahawks were in the playoffs. So were the Patriots, though I can understand why you're skeptical of them. And I'd be wary of the Rams.
Look, I don't think their schedule is the toughest in the NFL, but there are definitely some serious opponents and probably more dangerous teams than we know at the moment. I don't know who "everyone" is that's saying the Jets won't make the playoffs, but when the schedule came out, I made my far-too-early game-by-game predictions and gave them a record of 9-7.
That should be enough to get them into an expanded playoff field.
There are a lot of variables, obviously, but I think the Jets are better than they were a year ago (7-9) but not exactly an elite team. When we get to the regular season, I'd imagine I'll stick with predicting them to be around 9-7 or 8-8. But their margin for error will be slim.
