The New York Jets made their intentions known by sending young defensive stars Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams out of town in exchange for draft picks that can speed up their rebuild.
As much as it hurts to lose two All-Pro defenders, the Jets aren’t going anywhere anytime soon if they can’t figure out a way to massively improve.
General manager Darrell Mougey recently sent a clear message about their plans after those significant trade deadline moves.
“I wouldn’t call it a teardown,” Mougey said. “The goal is always to win. Look, these coaches and players work too hard every day, all day, with the goal of winning on Sunday. And that never changes because that’s what the fans deserve. That’s what the players deserve, that’s what the coaches deserve, and that never changes.”
This is obviously a dubious answer, because the Jets are in no way a better team without Gardner and Williams, but Mougey can’t come out and call this what it is.
The trades could be great long-term moves because the Jets are now armed with some impressive draft capital over the next couple of years, and these are deals a team makes with the bigger picture in mind.
The Jets will not contend for the playoffs until they figure out the quarterback position, as they have swung and missed multiple times in recent years with Sam Darnold, Zach Wilson, and now Justin Fields.
With five first-round picks in the next two years, perhaps they can land a franchise QB and get things headed in the right direction.
NEXT: Details Emerge About Why Quinnen Williams Was Traded
