The New York Jets is once again heading in a new direction with the AFC East franchise, notably hiring former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as the team’s latest coach. After passing through Todd Bowles and, more recently, Adam Gase, it is now Saleh who will try to fix the ship at East Rutherford, as the Jets have fought hard over the past few seasons.
With yet another new regime coming in to patrol the Gang Green sideline, although this time New York appears to have made the right rental, there is no doubt that the Jets will make some major changes to their scale before the 2021- 22 campaign. As the Jets prepare for both the off season and the NFL’s 2021 Draft, which will see New York ranked second overall, the organization will need to start preparing for the present – and the future – sooner or later . As Saleh gets more acclimatized and front office decisions are made, it wouldn’t be so surprising to see the Jets separate from a variety of players, as “go out with the old and go in with the new” could well take on a beautiful literal meaning.
Chris Herndon
One move that the Jets can potentially make this offseason is to part ways with veteran tight end Chris Herndon, a player who always seems to have so much hype and promise around him before each season. However, Herndon has not yet lived even remotely according to the standards that were continually bestowed on him during his first seasons at the top of the highest level. If the Jets released Herndon in the off-season – either before or after June 1 – New York would have a dead cap of $ 167,381 in 2021, along with a $ 920,000 salary cap economy in 2021-22.
The 25-year-old tight end was originally selected by the Jets in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft outside Miami. After a relatively impressive debut season in 2018, Herndon lost all but one regular season game in 2019 due to an injury. He managed to recover by appearing in all 16 games of the regular season last season, but his production remains far from initial expectations.
As a rookie, Herndon, who is currently in the final year of his four-year contract with the Jets, appeared in all 16 games of the regular season on his way to registering 39 receptions, 502 yards and four touchdowns on 56 targets, all of them still serve as career-high marks in a single season for the veteran pass catcher. With the 2019 campaign resulting in a lost year for Herndon, he most recently recorded 31 receptions, 287 yards and three scores on 45 targets in 2020-21. He also lost two fumbles in 16 games in the regular season last season.
Not only did Herndon simply not respond to the hype surrounding him as an NFL tight end, but there are also several other options that the Jets can – and should – consider moving forward.
The Jets actually wouldn’t even have to look that far, as the team currently employs veteran Ryan Griffin, who originally joined the league for six seasons as a member of the Houston Texans before going to MetLife Stadium before the 2019 campaign. Fortunately, the Jets were prepared for the eventual loss of Herndon, as Griffin did well in his absence in 2019. Over 15 appearances in the regular season that year, Griffin recorded 34 receptions, 320 yards and an impressive five touchdowns, receiving a total of 41 targets.
With Herndon returning to the herd in 2020-21, Griffin was not used as much as his numbers obviously plummeted. However, Griffin proved that he is more than capable of handling a greater workload with both Texans and Jets. In 2016, Griffin posted 50 receptions and 442 yards on 75 targets for Texans.
Even though the Jets want to stay with Griffin as the team’s second option in position due to his ability to catch the ball and serve as a reliable blocker in the racing game, there are many other free agent options for New York to achieve this off-season. While Tennessee Titans Jonnu Smith’s tight end, Los Angeles Chargers Hunter Henry’s and others certainly cost a lot more than Herndon, it would undoubtedly be worth the financial risk, as a legitimate contributor in a key position would do wonders for a franchise looking for rebound in style – regardless of who is in the center
It is also important to note that there are cheaper options on the open market that can easily replace Herndon, considering that their production, or lack thereof, would not be too difficult to replicate.
