How Should the New York Jets Approach the 2017 Season?

By Djack

With the 2017 NFL Off-Season underway, the New York Jets franchise faces many tough decisions on how to approach the upcoming 2017 NFL season. After a disappointing 2016 season in which many thought the Jets would build off their 10-6 record from the year before, it turned out to be a complete failure as the team regressed and showed no direction for the future. Now, the Jets are posed with the decision of either somehow reloading to attempt to make the playoffs with a ton of aging talent on the roster, or just blowing the whole thing up, breaking down the team, and beginning the rebuilding process. The question is which route will they take?

The answer to that question should be simple, it's time to give up on this current team since they've failed to make the playoffs the previous two seasons showing no signs of improvement. If they added a better quick fix quarterback such as Tony Romo or Kurt Cousins, maybe just maybe they'd be somewhat competitive. Is that really the right way to approach the future of this franchise? Anyone with an IQ above 70 should realize that'd be counter intuitive, straight up textbook insanity, and a total Jets move. In light of the recent Darrelle Revis scandal, and the actions of players such as Sheldon Richardson, along with the aging skill position players on offense I believe it's time for the Jets to move on. The rebuild needs to begin this off-season and if it doesn't the Jets franchise will continue to plummet deeper into the pit of irrelevancy.

If the Jets decide to take the rational approach in beginning the rebuilding process here's the moves they'll have to make this off-season. First, they'll have to cut Darrelle Revis, this is an obvious move and easy move in light of his recent arrest in which he's facing multiple felony charges. Regardless of his off the field issues Revis just wasn't the same dominate corner that he's been throughout the entirety of his career. As a matter of fact, he wasn't even a good corner back, he was average at best and even that might be a stretch. Next, the Jets would have to trade Sheldon Richardson for whatever they could possibly get for him whether that is a draft pick or just a young player, they need this cancer off their team and out of their locker room, so getting rid of him is a must. The baggage that comes with Richardson will make it more difficult to deal him, however he's still an outstanding talent so I'm sure someone will take a chance on him. Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker, Matt Forte, and Nick Mangold are all players on the back nine of their careers with hefty contracts that the Jets need to move on from. Yes, it'll certainly be a detriment to their offense, although even with these guys the offense was still trash last year, so take the money you'll get from cutting them and put it towards building a future for this franchise. The Jets after making these moves will have a horrible roster with very little talent, not necessarily a bad thing when they need to tank next season in order to end up with a top 5 pick. With that top 5 pick they'll be able to finally get the franchise QB that they've been searching for what seems like an eternity. Josh Rosen or Sam D'Arnold, could be the guy that finally gives this pathetic franchise the stability it needs at the QB position to succeed in this league. If the Jets can accomplish all of that, if they can commit to failing, they might actually be able to build a great foundation for the future. If not, they'll continue on the carousel of mediocrity for God knows how long.