The New York Jets are heading into a very important offseason this year. New York has already found a new general manager and head coach. And as Aaron Glenn took over as the team's HC, he's brought a lot of new coaches in with him. But these are far from the only moves for the Jets to make this offseason.
New York has announced they will look to part ways with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers, 41, will be a solid quarterback for any team to acquire. The Jets also have a few key free agents on defense, including D.J. Reed and Hasaan Reddick. While Reddick is almost guaranteed to leave New York this summer, Reed isn't a lock to leave town.
Reed is one of the best CB2s in the league, especially after a solid 2024 season. He's been a great complement playing across from superstar cornerback Sauce Gardner, which has made Reed's job much easier. Now the 28-year-old cornerback is set to get paid quite a hefty price this offseason.
If Reed opts to leave New York, which three teams will be the top landing spots for the star cornerback?
3. New England Patriots
When looking at a free agent like D.J. Reed, it's important to look at teams who already have a shutdown CB1. While Reed has the ability to play as a budding CB1, he isn't the lockdown option that many teams look for in a defensive back, one who can shadow the other team's top pass catcher. So keeping him as a CB2 makes a lot of sense.
A team like the New England Patriots work here. They have cornerback Christian Gonzalez as their top defensive back. Pairing Reed across from Gonzalez would make quite a bit of sense from a personnel standpoint. The Patriots could even add star cornerback Travis Hunter in the upcoming NFL Draft — they hold the No. 4 overall pick. If the Patriots can head into the 2025 season with the trio of Gonzalez, Hunter and Reed as their starting cornerbacks, there won't be many wide receiver rooms that they struggle against.
New England also won't struggle with money this offseason. They have the most cap space in the entire league by quite a wide margin. If they truly want Reed, there's nothing stopping them from going out and grabbing him in free agency. Adding Hunter could create an issue here though.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are another team that already has a star cornerback. Pittsburgh's CB1 is the young star Joey Porter Jr., who has seen issues with holding in the past, but is also notorious for shadowing the opposing team's best receiver. That's a trait that's becoming less and less common in the league as analytics takes over the game. Having Reed would give them the ability to let Reed travel with the opposing teams number two pass catcher as Porter follows the top option.
Pittsburgh is also set to lose cornerbacks Donte Jackson, C.J. Henderson, James Piere and Camerson Sutton in free agency. This kind of loss in depth needs to be replaced quickly and seamlessly if Pittsburgh wants to continue to dominate on the defensive side of the ball.
With the Steelers always having an emphasis on the defensive side of the ball, it wouldn't be surprising to see them willing to spend money on a cornerback like Reed. Reed would be a huge addition for Mike Tomlin's dominant defense, and he likely wouldn't mind playing opposite of Porter.
1. Minnesota Vikings
The final team on this list is also quite likely to spend money on the defensive side of the ball this offseason. The Minnesota Vikings are set to potentially lose breakout star quarterback Sam Darnold in free agency. If they lose Darnold, they'll have more money than they know what to do with, which sets them up perfectly to add Reed. If they re-sign Darnold, they'll still need to add on the defensive side of the ball to give themselves a chance in the loaded NFC North.
Minnesota's cornerback room is expected to be destroyed by free agency this offseason. Stephon Gilmore, Byron Murphy, Shaquil Griffin, Camryn Bynum and Fabian Moreau are all set to become free agents this spring. This list includes multiple starters including the team's top two cornerbacks.
While the Vikings may be likely to retain one or two of these free agents, they will still need to attack free agency and the draft very aggressively to upgrade the cornerback room.
Reed could potentially step in as the CB1 in Minnesota, though the Vikings will likely target a cornerback with their top draft pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Either way, Reed would be a huge addition for a team that has to matchup with Amon Ra St-Brown twice a year.