The Jets should not look for players ahead of trade deadline

I know this is an unpopular opinion, but there are a few things the fans have to understand. Yes, It is hard as a fan to look at the roster and see no elite players. And we all know how tempting it is to see veterans like Dez Bryant, currently a free agent, as well as Demaryius Thomas, Patrick Peterson or even Le’Veon Bell, who are allegedly available for trade. They would help the team a lot this season, obviously. However… I’m thinking bigger. These guys are not what the Jets need to win the Super Bowl. The best outcome I can imagine would be a wild card spot and a short playoff run. Sure, that’s really good considering what we’ve been through in the last few years. But we can achieve more.

We HAVE to keep our draft picks. I can understand trading up in the draft to pick the franchise QB, since that’s the most important person in the whole roster for years to come. But giving away our picks for expensive veterans who are not the future is just wrong. It’s not like these guys are the missing pieces of a successful team. We are in rebuild, and for that we need our picks. This season is supposed to be primarily focused on Sam Darnold’s development as a quarterback.

One good draft can make a team very, very good for the future. For instance, the 2017 NFL Draft was amazing for the New Orleans Saints. They picked Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk, Marcus Williams and Alvin Kamara. All of them are starters. The year before that they picked Sheldon Rankins, Michael Thomas and Vonn Bell. All of these players were very important last season, when they reached the NFC Divisional Round and lost to the Vikings in the Minneapolis Miracle. If they did it, why can’t the Jets do the same?

Since Mike Maccagnan became the GM for the Jets, the drafts have been so much better than it was before. Out of our last 10 first rounders, only 4 players (Sam Darnold, Jamal Adams, Darron Lee, Leonard Williams) are still with the Jets, all of them were drafted in the Maccagnan era. The other 6 were Calvin Pryor, Dee Milliner, Sheldon Richardson, Quinton Coples, Muhammad Wilkerson and Kyle Wilson. Out of the 6, four aren’t even in the NFL anymore. Only Wilkerson and Richardson remain in the league (with the Packers and Vikings, respectively). I honestly think we’re getting better every single year. In Maccagnan we trust.