LATEST NEWS : The Jets have signed an offensive lineman….but there’s some bad news

The Jets have signed an offensive lineman. However, there is some bad news.
The New York Jets started free agency wanting for offensive line help, and over 12 hours into the legal tapering period on Monday, the team eventually signed their first free agent lineman, veteran Baltimore Ravens guard John Simpson.Simpson and the Jets agreed to agreement on a two-year contract worth up to $18 million. The former fourth-round pick is likely to become the team’s new starting left guard, replacing Laken Tomlinson.

Throughout the day, many of the best offensive line prospects signed with other clubs, leaving the Jets to wait. According to numerous accounts, they were never going to be looking for the greatest offensive line prospects.

In the end, they settled for Simpson, a below-average starter who was the weakest link on a very excellent Ravens offensive line last season—an disappointing start to free agency.

What do the New York Jets receive in John Simpson?
Simpson, the Las Vegas Raiders’ fourth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, struggled in his first three seasons with the team. He was given the opportunity to start in 2021, and despite starting all 17 games, the Raiders quickly replaced him in the offseason.

The former Raiders draft pick was dismissed before the end of his third season and joined the Ravens’ practice squad in December of 2022. Simpson would eventually win the Ravens’ starting left guard position in the summer of 2023, which would reinvigorate his career.

Simpson started all 17 games at left guard for the Ravens this season, allowing only one sack in over 600 pass-block snaps. It was a positive move for a player who had been on the point of leaving the league just a year before.

Still, Simpson’s excellent qualities are limited. Simpson has been penalized a total of 23 times over his two seasons as an NFL starter. In 2023, he had the second most penalties among all offensive lineman with 11.

Simpson has also routinely received negative grades from Pro Football Focus. He has never finished with a PFF grade higher than 60.0 in a season and is placed 49th out of 79 qualified guards in 2023.

Simpson was a below-average starter last season when teamed with the Ravens’ outstanding offensive line. In every other year in the league, he was a borderline unplayable guard who did not even complete his rookie deal.

It’s worth considering how much of his “breakout” 2023 season — in which he was still below average — could be attributed to playing alongside a superb offensive line and blocking for the most mobile quarterback in NFL ever.

The contract terms are reasonable, and the actual AAV is likely to be substantially lower than previously stated. The Jets went cheap, and as a result, they acquired a player that is only somewhat better (at best) than Laken Tomlinson.

This offseason, the Jets had the potential to sign a number of stronger offensive lineman to address their most pressing issue. Instead, they settled for a bargain-bin signing who appears doomed to fail.

Unless Simpson exceeds expectations in New York, this appears to be another free-agent blunder by Joe Douglas and the Jets.