New York Jets Signings: Grading the Major Free Agent and Trade Acquisitions

Unlike last year, with holdouts and big signings of veterans, the New York Jets were pretty quiet about their transactions during this year's compressed free-agency period after the NFL lockout.  They have acquired some big-name players like Santonio Holmes, Plaxico Burress and Antonio Cromartie, while signing some other smaller-scale players that will be of importance during the 2011 season.

Here you will see the Jets report card for their 2011 free-agency signings, how those players will be of importance in 2011 and whether or not those acquisitions were good ones.

Hope you enjoy it; and as always, feedback is welcome.

David Harris (Four Years, $36 Million)

Grade: A+ 

Let’s start with the most recent signing, which is linebacker David Harris.  Prior to the lockout, the Jets applied the franchise tag to Harris to make sure they kept one of their key defensive pieces.  It was not until Tuesday that the Jets reached an agreement with Harris, keeping him in green and white for four more years.  

At this point, if you are someone who does not know the Jets very well, you are probably asking why does Harris even matter when they have Bart Scott? Scott became a household name for football fans around the country after yelling “Can’t Wait!” in a postgame interview when the Jets beat the Patriots in the playoffs last year. 

While Scott is a hard-hitting skilled player, the Jets needed their leading tackler back if they really wanted to make the playoffs again.  Harris has great play-recognition abilities and can make tackles when necessary; there’s a reason why he led the NFL in postseason tackles after the 2010 season. 

With Harris back, the Jets will not have to do much reconfiguration of their defense and can stick to what they have known for the last two years that Rex Ryan and Mike Pettine have teamed up to create one of the NFL’s best defenses.

Santonio Holmes (Five Years, $50 Million)

Grade: A+ 

To start off the compressed free-agency period, the Jets went after one of their needs before anything else and were able to keep last year's star, Santonio Holmes.  At the end of the 2010 season, three crucial Jets wide receivers became free agents—those players were Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes and Brad Smith. 

In order for the Jets to return to the playoffs, they needed an elite receiver that Mark Sanchez could throw to, because Jericho Cotchery and unknown receivers like Patrick Turner or Jeremy Kerley.

All in all, Holmes is worth the $50 million he will be getting over the next five years, he has already made his mark on the Jets franchise last season with three big late-game catches last season.  Expect many more in the coming years.

Plaxico Burress (One Year, $3 Million)

Grade: B

Why isn’t this grade higher?  That is the question many readers will ask when they see this one.  Still, the reality is the Jets are still taking a risk with a man who has not played professional football in two years.  The Jets are attempting to do with Plaxico Burress what the Eagles did with Michael Vick, as they will give him a year to show his worth and decide what to do with him after the 2011 season.

What to look out for from Plaxico is consistency and resiliency.  In order for him to stay in the NFL for a few more years, he will need to go out on the field and play his heart out, rather than taking plays off and slacking.  His hunger to be out on the field should fuel this consistency and resiliency, as he wants to be back in the spotlight, and he wants to help another team achieve the ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl.

Antonio Cromartie (Four Years, $32 Million)

Grade: A- 

Another position where the Jets had a need was cornerback, and after losing to the Eagles in the sweepstakes for Nnamdi Asomugha, Antonio Cromartie was the next big free agent available. 

Like Holmes, Cromartie played for the Jets last season, making some big plays that were beneficial to the Jets season and run in the playoffs, like his big kickoff return against the Colts during the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. 

While the Jets have Donald Strickland and Kyle Wilson, they simply do not match up skill-wise with Cromartie.  Strickland had an average year in 2009 for the Jets, but, at this point in his career, would be a suitable replacement after Wilson.  Kyle Wilson on the other hand is still a young player in need of some time to development. 

Darrelle Revis became his mentor during the lockout as the two spent some time with each other in Arizona, trying to improve before the 2011 season.  Cromartie will be able to once again complement Darrelle Revis’ lockdown ability and the Jets will have quality cornerbacks for a second straight year.

Eric Smith (Three Years, $7.5 Million)

Grade: B+ 

Eric Smith may prove to be a crucial re-signing in 2011 since he could start at safety rather than Jim Leonhard.  Smith was a great replacement for Leonhard during the last stretch of the regular season (aside from the beatdown he and the Jets received from the Patriots) and throughout the playoffs. 

Not much news has been given regarding Jim Leonhard’s recovery status after he broke his leg the week leading up to the Jets massacre in Foxborough.  Smith knows the Jets defense well, his coverage ability is up to par and, if Jim Leonhard loses his starting spot at safety, the Jets will not have to worry too much as the capable Eric Smith could easily take over.

Donald Strickland (One Year)

Grade: B 

When it comes to this addition, there is not much to say.  The move to acquire Donald Strickland after his stint in San Diego was just to fill up the roster.  Many of the criticisms the Jets faced when they were going after Nnamdi Asomugha—who wanted a contract equivalent to Darrelle Revis’—was that the Jets would not have depth at cornerback, and if either Asomugha or Revis got hurt during the season, it would be a wrap for the Jets pass defense. 

To ensure that they would have a decent cornerback in the event of injuries, the Jets signed Donald Strickland, who knows the system since he played in 2009.  He will bring depth to a thin position on the Jets roster.

Wayne Hunter (Four Years, $13 Million)

Grade: A-

With this re-signing, the Jets are indicating that Wayne Hunter will be Damien Woody’s replacement in 2011.  When right tackle Damien Woody suffered several injuries during the last part of the 2010 season and in the playoffs, Wayne Hunter was ready to step up and make sure there was no drop-off from between the two players. 

As a surprise to many, Hunter was able to get the job done quite well, and was a crucial part of the Jets running game as they entered the playoffs.  Even without Damien Woody, they were able to run it down their opponents' throats and get the yardage they needed on the ground, making this a great re-signing and a great choice to replace the now-retired Damien Woody.

Nick Folk (One Year)

Grade: B+ 

The Jets have not had much success at the kicker position since the Mike Nugent days, as they’ve changed kickers several times.  This offseason, the Jets signed Nick Folk to another one-year contract, as this was another need-based signing. 

Folk’s existence in the NFL will probably stay on a year-to-year basis as an incentive and, since he is a special teams player, the Jets do not want to use too much money on him. 

Folk made sure he was going to stay with the Jets when he sealed the deal in Indianapolis during the Wild Card Round of this year's playoffs.  He nailed the game-winning field goal, sending the Jets up to Gillette Stadium to face the Patriots the following week. 

Hopefully, Folk can keep up the good work and make some more crucial field goals when the time comes.

The End

Overall, this year’s free-agency period for the Jets was all need-based, unlike other teams (e.g. the Philadelphia Eagles).  They filled the empty slots with quality players that will help them strive to make the playoffs, appear in the AFC Championship Game for a third year in a row and, hopefully, advance to and win the 2012 NFL Super Bowl in Indianapolis.

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