Case to go

The Jets were able to sign Moses on a team-friendly deal in 2021, but his performance over the course of the season solidified his reputation as someone who is still a reliable starter, even though he’ll be 31 in March.

Moses should therefore seek a multi-year deal with guaranteed money and a higher salary in this offseason, and the Jets might not be in a position where giving starter money to someone who in an ideal world will be a rotational backup is the best use of resources.

His injury in the season finale further clouds matters. Moses suffered an MCL injury, although after a second opinion he decided it wasn’t necessary to get surgery. Can the Jets be as confident in his durability coming off such an injury? Conversely, however, it might mean fewer teams will be prepared to outbid them for his services.

At 31 years old, Moses doesn’t necessarily only have a few years left. After all, Andrew Whitworth started 15 games this year and he’s now in his 40s, and it’s not like Moses is a player who relies on his athletic ability. However, the Jets are looking ahead, so may be more focused on filling out their depth with someone who has the potential to move into a starting role down the road.

Another factor is that Moses arguably isn’t an ideal scheme fit within the Jets’ offense. He did a fine job in 2021, but they’ve tended to target tackles with more athleticism than Moses, and that’s probably the type of player they’re more likely to invest in to fill out their rotation.

Verdict

At the end of the season, Moses told the media he loved playing for the Jets, but when asked about free agency, he said he would “see how it goes.” That made it sound like he perhaps doesn’t expect to be back in 2022.

The Jets would surely jump at the chance to bring Moses back on another low-cost, low-risk deal. However, after his solid 2021 season, he’s sure to get some tempting offers from other teams around the league, and the most likely outcome is that he’ll head somewhere else so he has a chance to head to camp as a starter.

Popular in the Community