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It’s a nice thought, but fat chance
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Can you imagine the Jets pulling this off? It would instantly infuse Todd Bowles’ team with proven commodities, but let me do the honors of being a Debbie Downer: It’s not happening. It makes perfect sense in a vacuum given the team’s glaring needs at quarterback and OW (“Offensive Weapon,” to borrow a Jacksonville Jaguars term), but the combined price tags will be too steep.
Mike Maccagnan would have to dole out more than $60 million in full guarantees at signing for Cousins. Bell turned down the Steelers’ five-year offer last summer that included $30 million in the first two years (and $42 million in the first three years). It doesn’t make much financial sense for the Jets to pour that much loot into a running back … even though the soon-to-be 26-year-old Bell is a dynamic weapon.
Cousins and Bell played two seasons together in college. It would be a cool story for them to reunite in the NFL, but it’s not practical given the realities of their financial goals. Neither one is going to offer to play on a discount, that’s for damn sure.
If money weren’t a factor, I’d sign up for a Cousins-Bell combo platter right now. Although the Jets will have about $100 million of salary cap space, don’t get caught up in that number. The only thing that matters is that the Jets have ample cap space. The most important factor is this: How much CASH are Woody and Christopher Johnson willing to spend this offseason? Breaking the bank for Cousins and Bell is highly unlikely. The Jets will have interest in Cousins (assuming Washington doesn’t slap a $34.5 million franchise tag on him), but there are rumblings on One Jets Drive that they won’t break the bank if the bidding for his services escalates.
The Alex Smith Watch will be fascinating this offseason. On one hand, he would be a perfect fit for the Jets, who could use Smith for the next 2-3 years. On the other hand, there is no way the Jets should trade both of their second-round picks for a soon-to-be 34-year-old quarterback with only one year left on his contract.
Smith is coming off career-highs in passing yards, quarterback rating, touchdowns and completion rate. He was in the NFL MVP conversation for the first six weeks of the season. The Chiefs are looking to hand over the signal-caller keys to Patrick Mahomes, so they’ll try to squeeze every bit of compensation out of quarterback-needy squads. In case you’ve lived in a cave for the past half-century, the Jets fit that description.
Before the 2017 season, I wouldn’t have ponied up anything more than a third-rounder for Smith, but it will probably take more to get him after his career year. Should the Jets give up one of their second-round picks for Smith, who only has 33 regular-season interceptions in five seasons in Kansas City, I’d probably make that deal, but the feeling is that it will take more.
Remember: The Chiefs traded two second-round picks to the 49ers five years ago for (a younger) Smith. I’m sure they’d like a similar return.
Smith would be a quality plug-and-play starter in 2018, but what happens after that? He’s scheduled to make $17 million (with base salary and bonuses) in the final year of his deal. He’ll be a free agent after 2018. What if he walks after one season?
Yes, the Jets prefer to bring in a plugand-play starter while developing a younger one. Give me Teddy Bridgewater any day of the week from your list. He’s young (25) with playoff experience. Sure, there’s some measure of risk given his grievous knee injury that kept him sidelined for nearly two seasons. But the upside is there. Signing Bridgewater and drafting another quarterback would makes sense.
Here’s the giant catch: I don’t believe the Vikings will let him shake free. I’d expect Minnesota to sign Bridgewater to a reasonable multi-year deal before the official start of free agency.
Sam Bradford? Case Keenum? No thanks. Josh McCown is a better option if