The New York Jets came into the 2026 offseason poised to make some splashy signings. New York cleared up salary cap space after going on a fire sale at the trade deadline, trading away Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. They gained a mountain of draft picks between those two moves which should help solidify the future of the franchise.
But the Jets did not wait until the draft to make some big moves. New York went on a spending spree during the first week of free agency, spending more than $68 million to add players on defense. They also acquired safety Minkah Fitzpatrick from the Dolphins and immediately handed him a three-year contract worth $40 million.
New York does look a lot better on paper after adding a platoon of free agents. But does not mean that every one of those signings was a good decision.
One move stands out as the biggest mistake the Jets made during the first week of the 2026 NFL free agency cycle.
The Jets overpay for edge rusher Joseph Ossai
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The Jets signed Ossai to a three-year contract worth $36 million on the first day of free agency.
Ossai started his professional career with the Bengals after joining the team as a third-round pick back in 2021. He gained a larger role in 2024 and logged 89 total tackles and 10 sacks combined over the past two seasons.
There is no question that Ossai could be a valuable player for the Jets. But my concern is how much the Jets paid for a player like Ossai who has not showed elite production just yet.
The Jets already have Will McDonald IV on top of adding Kingsley Enagbare to a short-term contract in free agency. New York will almost certainly use the second overall pick in the draft on an edge rusher. Many analysts are mocking Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese to the Jets because it is such an obvious need.
The Ossai addition makes less sense with the knowledge that Reese and McDonald project as the team’s Week 1 starters on the edge.
So what role does that leave for Ossai?
Robby Sabo of Jets X-Factor suggested that Ossai could start at SAM linebacker when New York plays a 3-4 defensive front. He could also have a role in some 4-3 looks when the Jets want a bigger defensive end than McDonald on the field.
If that’s truly what the Jets plan, it is good to know they have a dedicated role in mind for Ossai. But is it worth $12 million per year to add a rotational player like Ossai?
Perhaps that money would have been better spent on a player they traded away.
Would the Jets have been better off re-signing Jermaine Johnson?
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The Jets traded edge rusher Jermaine Johnson for DT T’Vondre Sweat in a rare player-for-player trade back on February 26th.
Johnson was set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract in 2026. That fifth-year option is worth $13.41 million guaranteed, which is not all that different from Ossai’s contract at $12 million per year on average.
Most analysts would agree that Johnson is the better when compared to Ossai. Neither player has had an incredible start to their career, but Johnson has flashed more potential.
His best season came in 2023 when he logged 55 total tackles with seven-and-a-half sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one interception. But Johnson suffered an Achilles injury in 2024 that has slowed him down ever since.
The Jets could have always kept Johnson for one more season before deciding whether or not to extend him. If they decided to let him go after the 2026 season, he could potentially yield a compensatory draft pick in the future for the Jets. That seems like a win-win situation.
Instead, New York flipped him for two years of Sweat on his rookie contract. The former second-round pick is an ideal nose tackle, which the Jets may have perceived as a bigger need. If that is true, then the Jets probably aren’t second guessing themselves after letting Johnson walk.
Ultimately, the Jets are betting that the combination of Sweat and Ossai will be more valuable than Johnson by himself.
Both players may need to play at a high level over the next two years for the Ossai signing to truly be “worth it.”
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