New York Jets free agency 2021: Top 5 targets

These five players would be good free agent targets for the Jets.

It will be a big offseason for the New York Jets, who hired a new head coach in Robert Saleh and figure to be very active in free agency as well as the draft. The Jets have the assets to pull off a big trade (perhaps for Deshaun Watson?) and will have more than $70 million in salary cap space to add some free agents.

GM Joe Douglas opted for a conservative approach last offseason and is poised to be more aggressive at the perfect time since there are a ton of players out there that could fit the Jets’ needs. Let’s look at five ideal fits, beginning with cornerback Richard Sherman.

5. Jets’ free agent targets: CB Richard Sherman

The Jets have been looking to find cornerbacks for years as free agent signings like Pierre Desir and Trumaine Johnson just haven’t worked out. Adding a future Hall-of-Famer like Richard Sherman would be a huge move to both strengthen the secondary in the short term while also providing a valuable veteran mentor to the team’s young cornerbacks.

This wouldn’t seem like a good fit on paper but the 32-year old Sherman has a strong relationship with Saleh and could follow his former defensive coordinator to New York. Sherman would start immediately for the Jets and could help be a teacher on the field as the new coaching staff installs Saleh’s preferred defensive schemes.

The organization is also in need of a culture change and bringing in a winner like Sherman is a significant aid in that process. The Jets would likely prefer to keep this to a short-term contract in order to buy themselves time to find long-term answers at the position.