NFL offseason wish list: New York Jets

Welcome to our fantasy football wish lists where we’re going through each NFL team and listing three things we’d love to see them do this offseason for fantasy reasons (but also real football reasons).

For the first time in a millennia, the Jets have an offseason ahead of them in which they aren’t desperately trying to find themselves a quarterback. Instead, they’re going to be desperately doing the Bears/Rams method of stockpiling on offensive talent to put around their own franchise quarterback. So, who out there can the Jets get to help shape this offense? I think we all know number one...

Sign Le’Veon Bell

I made sure I wrote this wish list specifically so I could wish for Bell to sign with the Jets. The Colts could swoop in and snag Bell at the 25th hour but I would be quite surprised if he ended up anywhere other than New York. It just makes sense on so many levels: Bell wants to get paid a shit ton of money and nothing screams “Jets” to me more than handing Bell—a 27 year old running back, coming off a year out of the sport and who may or may not be out of shape—a massive amount of guaranteed money. And that’s not to say they shouldn’t. Bell is a possibly Hall of Fame level running back who’s powerful between the tackles and exceptional in the passing game. We all know what Bell is capable of and putting him in this offense instantly gives the Jets a legit, All-Pro weapon to help take the pressure off Sam Darnold’s shoulders and give him a number one receiver. Honestly, the Jets would be stupid not to do this.

Sign Matt Paradis AND Rodger Saffold

Now that the Jets have their stud running back and their stud quarterback, they need to protect/help them out. They’ve got the second most cap space this year and I see no reason not to invest some of that space right into the trenches. Paradis and Saffold are some of the top free agent linemen and adding them would dramatically improve the Jets’ line. Le’Veon Bell is an elite running back but a good amount of his success can be placed on the shoulders of an underrated Steelers’ offensive line. Creating their own stout line would help the Jets maximize Bell and keep Darnold upright and healthy.

Trade for A.J. Green

The Jets need receiving help so initially I was going to put “Sign Randall Cobb” here. Cobb is not a number one guy but he can be a reliable chain mover and a security blanket for Darnold. But then I thought to myself, “hey Pete, let’s get bold here. This is a wish list after all.” So here I am getting bold. I don’t want to watch the talent of A.J. Green waste another year in Cincinnati with a Bengals team that’s struggling to remain memorable. Let’s get him onto a team that’s up and coming with a young quarterback who likes to sling it, where he’ll be the number one guy in an offense that could be explosive and dynamic (especially when wish list items #1 and 2 come to fruition). Quick logistics: trading Green would free up $12 million on the Bengals cap and result in only $3 million of dead money. The Bengals could get a healthy return for the 30-year-old wide receiver who’s dealt with injuries two of his last three season. Plus, the Bengals are trash and aren’t going anywhere fast so might as well sell the farm and rebuild.

I don’t know, it might just be crazy enough to work.