Stay or Go: 12 impending Jets free agents and what the team may do

The Jets haven’t exactly been a top destination for NFL players in the last decade, but they hope that perception is starting to change. A big test will be who they can get to join their crusade when they try to spend their $60 million so in salary cap space this March.

Another big test is whether they’re able to lure any of their own free agents back.

Of course, they probably don’t want them all back. There are only a few desirables on their list of 21 players who are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents in two months. But that does include a couple of important players.

Heading into the Jets’ season finale, here’s a look at some of the bigger and more familiar names heading towards free agency, and which ones might be wearing a Jets uniform for the final time:

S Marcus Maye

A few months ago there was no shot. He was going to be looking for a $15 million per season or more, the Jets weren’t going to go that high, and his agent was hinting about a trade. Then he tore his Achilles and … well, it’s still probably not going to happen. 

Maye isn’t going to get the mega-deal he was seeking, and he may have to settle for a short-term deal where he can re-establish his worth. The Jets might offer him that chance, but would he want it? 

He seemed to have soured on the franchise and all the losing and burned some bridges when he didn’t tell the Jets about his DUI arrest for six months (and until it came out in the press). He seems likely to look to prove his worth elsewhere.

WR Braxton Berrios

What he’s shown over the last month is that the Jets should’ve been using him more often. He’s had 20 catches for 180 yards and four total touchdowns in the last four games, which includes two rushing and a 102-yard kickoff return.

The 5-foot-9, 190-pounder could be a nice fourth receiver, kick returner and gimmick guy, which makes him valuable. The Jets will try to retain him, though it’s hard to tell how much he’d cost. It might depend on if the Patriots get involved and try to take back the player they took in the sixth round of the 2018 draft.

WR Keelan Cole

The Jets had high hopes for Cole when they signed him to a one-year, $5.5 million deal after having been underused for four years in Jacksonville. But they didn’t get much in return – 25 catches, 395 yards, no touchdowns and too many drops. He’ll be 29 in April. There’s no need to give him another shot.

WR Jamison Crowder

The writing was on the wall for Crowder in June when he had to agree to cut his salary in half to avoid being cut. He did have 50 catches in 11 games this season, but those only went for 431 yards. He’s been passed by the younger, more dynamic Elijah Moore and now Berrios is emerging as a better player, too. He’ll be 29 in June and he’ll have to try to hang on somewhere else.

G Laurent Duvernay-Tardif

I still think Jets GM Joe Douglas is going to take a swing at one of the top guards in free agency, but if he misses, LDT would be a nice consolation prize. He’s played well since coming over from the Chiefs at the trade deadline and finding his legs after opting out last season. Even if the Jets do sign a free-agent guard, they should bring him back for depth, if he’s interested.

T Morgan Moses

The 6-foot-6, 318-pounder didn’t win the right tackle job coming out of training camp, but he took over in Week 2 after Mekhi Becton got hurt and George Fant moved to the left side. He’s played well too. But they’ve got an interesting dilemma. Fant played well at left tackle and fits their wide-zone-blocking system well. 

So if Becton, last year’s first-round pick, returns healthy, does Fant go back to the right side? Does Becton? And then what happens with Moses? He might believe he’s got an easier path to a starting job someplace else.

DT Foley Fatukasi

The Jets gave John Franklin-Myers a four-year, $55 million extension back in October, which shows he’s their preferred young lineman, and they will soon have to spend big money on Quinnen Williams, too. So Fatukasi won’t get big money from the Jets, even though he’s become a tremendous run-stuffer. They should try to bring him back because an interior with him and Williams, and Sheldon Rankins behind him, would be strong. 

And if Carl Lawson and Bryce Huff return healthy on the edges, it could be the kind of line Saleh’s been dreaming about. But if they let him hit free agency, he could get more than they’re willing to spend, and he’d likely be gone.

RB Tevin Coleman

He clearly wasn’t his old, explosive self and he couldn’t stay healthy – two things not likely to improve when he turns 29. The backfield belongs to Michael Carter now. Coleman would be a nice backup and complementary piece if he doesn’t want to be paid too much.

TE Tyler Kroft

He had only 15 catches for 168 yards and missed half the season, which probably is what the Jets should have expected. They absolutely have to upgrade the talent at the tight end position this offseason. It should be a priority in free agency. Kroft won’t be.

S Lamarcus Joyner

The Jets don’t have a lot of great options at safety, so bringing back the 31-year-old isn’t a bad idea. They had high hopes for what he could do as a disruptive force in their secondary before he tore a tendon in his elbow in August. He should be able to come back from that and cost less than the $3 million he was paid this year.

DT Nathan Shepherd

He’s proven to be a solid rotational player for the Jets, but not a lot more. Obviously paying Fatukasi would be a priority (and saving money for Williams). No reason they can’t bring him back as the fourth DT, but he may find more playing time elsewhere.

LB Jarrad Davis

The Jets rushed to give him a one-year, $5.5 million deal on Day 1 of free agency, convinced he was misused in Detroit and could be a rock in the middle of their defense. Then, he missed the first half of the season with an ankle injury and hasn’t looked good at all since his return. 

They certainly could give him another shot next year, but with promising young linebackers like Quincy Williams, Hamsah Nasirildeen and Jamien Sherwood, and C.J. Mosley under contract for another three seasons, there’s really no reason to do that.