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I tweeted this on X today: – “How many times did the Jets overpay for a player in free agency and it worked out? I’ll hang up and listen.”
It was hard to fans to think of anybody. I had a hard time thinking of anybody.
One fan brought up D.J. Reed, but that was not a case of overspending. The deal wasn’t insane (3-year, $33 million contract with $10.5 million guaranteed) and he’s had two pretty solid seasons for the Jets.
But several fans brought up C.J. Mosley.
What?
There is an old saying: “Perception is reality.”
Mosley’s contract is bad, and it’s always been bad. Mr. Coffee went overboard there.
I’m not saying he’s a bad player, but $17 million a year for a run-stuffing linebacker who isn’t great in coverage is a profligate contract.
What is so hard to understand about that?
You can get linebackers to do what Mosley does for $4-7 million a year?
This isn’t hate. It’s just a fact.
But the perception, of this player, due to hype, is that he’s some kind of transcendent talent.
They can introduce him last on game day all they want, and act like he’s Ray Lewis, but he’s not.
Is he a good leader? Maybe, but the defense hasn’t been very good during his time with the Jets, so where is that leadership really getting them?
Yes, there were defensive improvements last year, but their run defense was still bad, and he’s a run-stuffing linebacker.
Not blaming him for the run defense issues, which had more to do with poor edge-setting and undersized defensive linemen getting velcroed to blocks, but the bottom line is the run defense has been substandard the last three years.
That Mosley contract is bad for the Jets, but nobody wants to talk about it.
A pay cut, like Von Miller just took in Buffalo, should perhaps be on the table, but because he’s a deity in the building and with the media, you never hear anybody talking about it.
Not talking about a reworked contact with money just being deferred. Talking about a pay cut like Carl Lawson took last year.
Who, in a cap sport, pays an older inside linebacker, who is mainly a run-stuffer, $17 million a year? Is that how you build a Super Bowl-caliber roster?
Now, granted, the current GM didn’t give Mosley this contract, but, however, Mosley has been playing on this contract, under the current GM, since 2019.
It’s almost like the player’s reputation is clouding the judgment of the decision-makers instead of the film.
You can’t run a team in a cap sport that way.
Did you watch the Cleveland game last season?
But in so many ways we are living in a post-reality world.
You’re going to cut Laken Tomlinson and C.J. Uzomah because they had inconsistent seasons, but this player is beyond reproach?
He also opted out during the COVID season. In retrospect, make out of that what you wish.
So no, Mosley wasn’t an example of the Jets overpaying a player and it working out great.
They overpaid him and it worked out okay, but at no point was the money commensurate with the skill set.
Let’s be honest, the main reason Mosley signed with the Jets was that Mr. Coffee gave him $4 million more a year than the Ravens were offering. Mosley would have been nuts to turn down that kind of insane offer. He loved playing in Baltimore, but who would turn down $17 million a year compared to $13 million a year?
Once again, he’s a good player, but $17 million a year?
C’mon now.
March 11, 2024
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