Posted in: NFL, Sports | Tagged: entertainment, Jamal Adams, Josh McCown, New York Jets, nfl, sports

NFL Post-Mortem: The 2017 New York Jets

Published Sun, 25 Mar 2018 14:50:46 -0500

The New York Jets were coming off their second season under Head Coach Todd Bowles and had a down year, going 5-11 behind starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. But Fitzpatrick left in the offseason, and the team failed to address the need for a franchise quarterback to build around and instead turned to journeyman Josh McCown. They spent the first two picks in the draft on one position, Safety, taking Jamal Adams from LSU in round one and Marcus Maye from Florida in round two. They spent the offseason letting a lot of their top talent go while bringing in players that were more bench fillers than starters. The season looked bleak, like something out of the Major League movies, and fans were just expecting to hear the team was moving or something.

What Happened?

The team ended up doing the exact same as the year before but with a smaller salary and younger players. They went 5-11, though three of those came in the first five games of the season, meaning they went two for 12 the rest of the way. The team missed the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. The best thing you can say about the season is that the younger players got experience. Other than that it was a season that fans won't remember if things turn around.

What's Next?

It's better to look forward at this point, as the team now has some money to sign some free agents. They also made a deal with the Colt to moves up to the #3 pick in the draft, a move that only makes sense if they're going after one of the top quarterbacks. The Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan has been seen at all the top prospects pro days. They also signed Teddy Bridgewater, who is coming off a catastrophic knee injury and resigned McCown. They had tried to sign Kirk Cousins but lost out to the Vikings. They've also signed Corner Trumaine Johnson and wide receiver Terrelle Pryor Sr., showing the team is willing to spend some money this year.

If they make the right call in the first round and get a quarterback that can come in and gradually take over the team next season, leading them to an 8-8 record or better, then 2017 will be looked at as a regrouping year that had to be done. But if they come away with another 5-11 season, you can expect Bowles and maybe Maccagnan to be looking for new jobs.

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