{"id":767055,"date":"2026-02-21T15:48:25","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T15:48:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/767055\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T15:48:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T15:48:25","slug":"which-jets-free-agents-are-worth-keeping-at-their-market-values","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/767055\/","title":{"rendered":"Which Jets free agents are worth keeping at their market values?"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Friday, we broke down the projected market values of 20 New York Jets free agents<\/a>, according to projections from Spotrac.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take things a step further. If these market values hold, which free agents should the Jets elect to keep? Which should they allow to walk?<\/p>\n

Here are the verdicts.<\/p>\n

OL Alijah Vera-Tucker ($12.8M)<\/p>\n

There may be teams out there who are desperate enough for offensive line talent to take a lucrative swing on Vera-Tucker\u2019s upside despite his extreme injury concerns.<\/p>\n

That would price out the Jets, who are not in desperate enough need of offensive line upside to risk an eight-figure salary on a player who has only played 51% of possible games in his career.<\/p>\n

Verdict: Pass<\/p>\n

RB Breece Hall ($10.4M)<\/p>\n

This salary would currently rank ninth among running backs. It\u2019s a good value for the impact Hall brings to the table; he ranked seventh at the position in yards over expected<\/a> in 2025.<\/p>\n

I think the Jets would gladly extend Hall for this price.<\/p>\n

Verdict: Sign<\/p>\n

LB Quincy Williams ($9.2M)<\/p>\n

As a linebacker whose game has always been predicated on athleticism, Williams does not seem like the type of player with a strong chance of playing well into his thirties. The 2025 season was solid evidence that his decline may have already arrived.<\/p>\n

With Jamien Sherwood\u2019s $15 million salary already on the books at linebacker, there is no way the Jets will pay over $9 million per year for Williams entering his age-30 season.<\/p>\n

Verdict: Pass<\/p>\n

S Tony Adams ($6.5M)<\/p>\n

Adams was benched by multiple coaching staffs over the last two years. He is a useful backup and special teams player, but if he commands interest as a starter, which reports indicate may happen<\/a>, the Jets will likely look in another direction.<\/p>\n

Verdict: Pass<\/p>\n

G John Simpson ($6.3M)<\/p>\n

If continuity is the Jets\u2019 priority along the offensive line, this is a fair price to retain Simpson and run back the starting unit they relied on last year.<\/p>\n

If the Jets want to get even better up front, though, they can find talent upgrades over Simpson for fair prices on the dollar, even if it costs them a little more cap space.<\/p>\n

It depends on what the Jets are looking for: continuity or overall talent?<\/p>\n

Verdict: Toss-up<\/p>\n

K Nick Folk ($4.8M)<\/p>\n

Only one thing needs to be said: The man missed one kick in 17 games. Re-sign him.<\/p>\n

Verdict: Sign<\/p>\n

QB Tyrod Taylor ($4.0M)<\/p>\n

In 2025, Taylor looked like a shell of the solid backup he was in recent seasons. The Jets can do better in the veteran backup role.<\/p>\n

Verdict: Pass<\/p>\n

S Andre Cisco ($3.6M)<\/p>\n

Cisco was a massive liability in the team\u2019s starting lineup before he suffered a season-ending injury.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t a bad price for a player who once snagged seven interceptions across two seasons, but fresh blood at safety is necessary as Aaron Glenn takes over the defense.<\/p>\n

Verdict: Pass<\/p>\n

EDGE Micheal Clemons ($3.5M)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s debatable whether Clemons should make a 53-man roster in 2026, let alone justify a $3.5 million salary.<\/p>\n

Across a sizable sample of 538 defensive snaps in 2025, Clemons had more penalties (2) than sacks (1) and more missed tackles (7) than quarterback hits (5), while providing poor discipline as an edge-setter against the run.<\/p>\n

Verdict: Pass<\/p>\n

S Isaiah Oliver ($2.9M)<\/p>\n

The Jets need a complete revamp of the safety position. Oliver struggled as a backup in 2026.<\/p>\n

Verdict: Pass<\/p>\n

LB Mykal Walker ($2.2M)<\/p>\n

As Connor Long broke down<\/a>, Walker quietly emerged as a silver lining for the Jets\u2019 defense late in the year. He was also one of the core pieces of New York\u2019s elite special teams unit.<\/p>\n

Flying under the radar on a dismal team, Walker\u2019s price should remain minimal, making him a potential steal for the Jets.<\/p>\n

Verdict: Sign<\/p>\n

WR Tyler Johnson ($2.2M)<\/p>\n

Johnson had an opportunity to stake his claim to a roster spot with the ample playing time he received due to injuries, but the 27-year-old failed to impress, dropping a couple of big passes in key spots.<\/p>\n

The Jets would be better off allocating their back-end wide receiver spots to younger players with potential, such as Adonai Mitchell and John Metchie.<\/p>\n

Verdict: Pass<\/p>\n

OT Max Mitchell ($1.7M)<\/p>\n

Mitchell is worth bringing in to compete on a cheap, non-guaranteed deal. He is an athletic tackle who has shown value as an extra offensive lineman in jumbo packages.<\/p>\n

Verdict: Sign<\/p>\n

DT Jay Tufele ($1.6M)<\/p>\n

Tufele will be 27 years old this August and has registered five straight seasons of bottom-of-the-barrel efficiency in both phases. Neither his floor nor his ceiling justifies a roster spot.<\/p>\n

Verdict: Pass<\/p>\n

DT Khalen Saunders ($1.5M)<\/p>\n

Saunders, who will turn 30 in August, is an experienced veteran who racked up plenty of critical snaps for the Chiefs from 2019-22 and played a key role for the Saints from 2023-24.<\/p>\n

Across limited snaps for the Jets in 2025, Saunders wasn\u2019t impressive, but he was more competent than most of the Jets\u2019 defensive linemen, particularly against the run. Saunders made nine tackles on just 141 snaps with the Jets, and he did not miss any.<\/p>\n

With little talent to speak of in the defensive tackle room, Saunders offers enough of a floor to be worth keeping around for competition and veteran leadership.<\/p>\n

Verdict: Sign<\/p>\n

WR Josh Reynolds ($1.5M)<\/p>\n

Reynolds had an opportunity to assert himself as a starter for the Jets early in the year, but looked like a shell of his former self, generating a measly four first downs on 160 routes. He caught just 2-of-8 contested targets, which used to be a strength for the 6-foot-3 wideout.<\/p>\n

At 31 years old with dwindling production, Reynolds doesn\u2019t offer enough of a floor to justify a spot in the Jets\u2019 talent-starved receiver room.<\/p>\n

Verdict: Pass<\/p>\n

TE Stone Smartt ($1.4M)<\/p>\n

Smartt was a valuable piece of the Jets\u2019 special teams unit, particularly in the return game. He seldom played for the kick or punt coverage units, but his blocking was integral<\/a> to the Jets\u2019 success on both kick and punt returns.<\/p>\n

Not only was the special teams unit New York\u2019s only reliable strength in 2025, but it was one of the best units in NFL history. They should be intent on keeping anybody who contributed to that success.<\/p>\n

Verdict: Sign<\/p>\n

RB Khalil Herbert ($1.4M)<\/p>\n

Herbert didn\u2019t show much for the Jets across limited chances, averaging 3.3 yards on 16 carries and catching 1-of-4 targets for 4 yards (with one drop).<\/p>\n

He could be worth keeping around on a flier, though. It wasn\u2019t long ago that Herbert was a solid RB2.<\/p>\n

Over 25 games with the Bears from 2022-23, Herbert averaged 5.1 yards across 261 carries while adding 29 receptions for 191 yards and two touchdowns. Altogether, he racked up 1,533 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns while fumbling just once.<\/p>\n

Herbert can also offer depth as a kick returner.<\/p>\n

There are worse gambles to take with a back-end roster spot.<\/p>\n

Verdict: Sign<\/p>\n

TE Jelani Woods ($1.3M)<\/p>\n

A former third-round pick with all-world athleticism, Woods was an intriguing waiver pickup for the Jets in late August. However, the health and consistency of New York\u2019s tight ends prevented Woods from getting a real shot, as he finished the season with 60 offensive snaps and three targets.<\/p>\n

Woods had a promising rookie year for the Colts in 2022 (25 receptions for 312 yards and three touchdowns) before injuries sapped his next two seasons. At 6-foot-7 and 253 pounds with a perfect 10.0 Relative Athletic Score, he remains a fascinating player. He hasn\u2019t played enough to be completely written off just yet.<\/p>\n

The Jets don\u2019t have any high-upside pass catchers in their tight end room after Mason Taylor. Woods is worth a roll of the dice.<\/p>\n

Verdict: Sign<\/p>\n

CB Ja\u2019Sir Taylor ($1.1M)<\/p>\n

Taylor was a mid-season trade pickup for his special teams value. He carved out a minor niche on special teams, playing for the kick coverage and punt return units, although he didn\u2019t stand out much. In coverage, he struggled mightily, allowing three touchdowns in limited time.<\/p>\n

Verdict: Pass<\/p>\n

Keeps<\/p>\n

RB Breece Hall ($10.4M)<\/p>\n

Toss-up: G John Simpson ($6.3M)<\/p>\n

K Nick Folk ($4.8M)<\/p>\n

LB Mykal Walker ($2.2M)<\/p>\n

OT Max Mitchell ($1.7M)<\/p>\n

DT Khalen Saunders ($1.5M)<\/p>\n

TE Stone Smartt ($1.4M)<\/p>\n

RB Khalil Herbert ($1.4M)<\/p>\n

TE Jelani Woods ($1.3M)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On Friday, we broke down the projected market values of 20 New York Jets free agents, according to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":767056,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2051],"tags":[2316,487,198,7,3228,226,6780,34902,1917,255,2321,2097,6,6531,3229,3916,30016,3234],"class_list":{"0":"post-767055","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-jets","8":"tag-alijah-vera-tucker","9":"tag-breece-hall","10":"tag-featured","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-free-content","13":"tag-jets","14":"tag-john-simpson","15":"tag-max-mitchell","16":"tag-new-york","17":"tag-new-york-jets","18":"tag-newyork","19":"tag-newyorkjets","20":"tag-nfl","21":"tag-ny-jets-column","22":"tag-ny-jets-free-agency","23":"tag-ny-jets-players","24":"tag-ny-jets-salaries","25":"tag-standard"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116109412957798228","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/767055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=767055"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/767055\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/767056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=767055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=767055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=767055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}