Ryan Griffin, Jets Agree to Reported 3-Year, $10.8M Contract Extension

The New York Jets announced Saturday night that tight end Ryan Griffin has been signed to a multiyear contract extension.

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Griffin's deal is worth up to $10.8 million over three years and includes $4 million guaranteed.

Griffin, 29, has caught 25 passes for 225 yards and four touchdowns in 10 starts for the Jets this season.

Griffin signed with the team on July 23, but he's emerged as a key offensive piece for the team.

"Right when Ryan got in here, I knew the kind of guy he was, first and foremost," quarterback Sam Darnold said this week, per Randy Lange of the team's website. "I knew he was going to work hard and do all the right things off the field. Then once he got on the field, I knew we had a special guy in this locker room and a special player."

"I'm new here. I didn't get a bunch of first-team reps in camp," Griffin added. "Now that we're getting more time out here every day practicing, we're just stacking good reps and good plays on top of each other. We're finding comfort in our connection."

The expectation coming into the season was that Chris Herndon would be the main man for the Jets at tight end once he returned from a four-game suspension. The 23-year-old caught 39 passes for 502 yards and four touchdowns in his rookie year and appeared primed for a breakout season.

But he played in just one game this season before being placed on injured reserve with a broken rib, ending his season.

Griffin, however, has stepped up in his stead. And he's gotten better as the season has gone on, posting five receptions for 105 yards and a score in a 34-17 win over Washington last week.

"He's been awesome for us, and he's looking to have another big game this weekend," Darnold said.

He's now in striking distance of the stats he posted in his best season, 2016 with the Houston Texans, when he caught 50 passes for 442 yards and two touchdowns. After six seasons with the Texans, it appears Griffin has found a home in New York.