After providing a trade package deemed suitable to Kansas City, former Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill opted for the division rival Miami Dolphins over the New York Jets.

It was an exciting hour for New York Jets fans, as reports came out that they were serious contenders in executing a trade to obtain the fastest man in the NFL. After choosing Miami over New York, things will return to normal for Gang Green, with some glaring issues becoming apparent for the future of the franchise. But, as with anything, there are positives too.

Joe Douglas

First thing is first. While reports are arriving that the New York Jets did not offer a first-round pick to the Chiefs, they did announce the package submitted by Joe Douglas would have been suitable for the trade. In fact, additional reports claim that the Jets backloaded with more later-round picks than the Dolphins, and ultimately would have been considered the better trade value. If the Jets won the trade, which was ultimately decided by Tyreek Hill, it would’ve been the greatest heist in the history of the NFL, and Joe Douglas would need a statue built outside 1 Jets Drive.

But, as with anything, would an offer that included a first-round pick forced Kansas City’s hand, and never put Miami in contention? We’ll never know. And frankly, it doesn’t matter.

But knowing that not only was Joe Douglas willing to trade extensive draft capital for a receiver, but also shell out a contract to make him the highest paid receiver in the NFL puts to rest all claims that Joe Douglas is stingy with the wallet. He’ll cash out, but only for the right athletes.

Wide Receiver Necessity

When Joe Douglas alluded to having the resources to execute a blockbuster trade this off-season, it was believed that trade would target a legitimized, #1 wide receiver to solidify the Jets receiving core, and provide an elite presence for Zach Wilson’s development.

It seems the Jets would have pulled the trigger on Calvin Ridley. But, a one-year ban from the NFL for gambling on games while on a mental-health break ended that. Allen Robinson might have been a target, but it’s hard to image their age didn’t play a role in the decision to ultimately not pursue him in free agency.

The Jets are left now to either execute a major trade for a receiver or be forced to draft one in round 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft. Twitter brushes the name DK Metcalf around a lot, considering the massive rebuild Seattle will be forced to undertake. Time for the front office to do their due diligence, unless they are 100% convinced an elite wide receiver is coming out of this class.

New York/New Jersey Strikes Again

At the end of the day, let’s not pretend this is about quarterbacks. Dolphins starter Tua Tagovailoa financially will not have the option available for a major contract extension, considering what Miami is paying Hill. Tua has a statistical inability to throw deep balls, the key aspect of Hill’s game. Is the state income tax to blame? Is it the warm weather of Miami? Did Hill not want to deal with the New York media?

At the end of the day, it seemed like the Jets were the logical option: better young quarterback, bigger market as a player for endorsements, bigger trade package. And, by the way, let’s not forget Stephen Ross is still under investigation for bribing former head coach Brian Flores into intentionally losing games. It’s just all around a messier situation. There’s going to be a new quarterback in 2 years. The ownership might change. The best thing Hill got out of Miami was a big fat bag of money. And taxes would take a lot of that away from him.

Missing Out Will Be a Good Thing

Was missing out on Hill really all that bad? The Jets time and time again, for whatever reason, cannot connect success to free agency and trade acquisitions. Trumaine Johnson flopped. Le’Veon Bell flopped. Countless others flopped. There is no correlation between big trades and big spending bringing big success. Not for Jets fans at least.

So, what happens in the event that the Jets turn over half of their draft capital for a wide receiver, make him the highest-paid receiver in the entire NFL, and it turns out it’s a bad fit? Joe Douglas would be put on a virtual cross by Jets fans. Would he properly fit into the scheme? Would he honestly, truly help develop Zach Wilson as an NFL quarterback?

When there’s so many holes and needs on a roster, throwing away half of the resources to fix one position doesn’t help the team long term, and puts them in severe jeopardy in the short term. Les Sneed and the Rams could afford to lose a draft class to bring in proven talent because they were already a well assembled roster. The Jets haven’t finished over .500 since 2016.

Gang Green isn’t a “blow-a-draft-class-on-a-player” away from finding enduring, long-term success in the NFL. They need to focus on winning more games than the losing first. Jets fans are so enamored with making the big splash play: the franchise isn’t in a position to make an NFL-altering move. Hill won’t work out in Miami, and the more I think about it, he wouldn’t have worked out as well as we thought in New York. Just check the Twitter pages. It wasn’t about how much of a threat Hill is, despite how good of a player he is. It was about how he would open the field for Corey Davis and specifically Elijah Moore. Top receivers don’t pay top money to be a distraction for the defense. Davante Adams got triple-covered and still came down with balls in Green Bay. Bracket Tyreek Hill and he’s zeroed out of a game. That’s not worth the money, it’s not worth the draft capital when the team is trying to get on an upswing of a rebuild that has taken what feels like a decade.

Hill laughed off signing with the Jets in a press conference. That’s not the culture Joe Douglas is bringing into a locker room. He’s not looking to sign bounty hunters; he’s looking to sign football fanatics.

5 days later, missing out doesn’t seem like missing out.

Final Thoughts

The Jets defense now need to stop Tyreek Hill twice a year. Joe Douglas is willing to spend big.

It was an exciting hour, and Jets fans will go back to our normal daily lives.

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