The New York Jets declined to apply the NFL franchise tag to defensive tackle Bryce Huff when the deadline arrived.
The deadline was 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5. The Jets would have had to pay $21.3 million for a one-year contract if they had franchise-tagged Huff.
Instead, when the new league year begins on Wednesday, March 13 at 4 pm, the gifted pass rusher is scheduled to go on the open market the following week.
Huff and the Jets’ most recent update
The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt stated that the team didn’t tag Huff on social media “as expected.”
Rosenblatt stated, “I would be astonished if he returned at this stage; the outside probability being if his market isn’t as robust as predicted.” “The Jets will likely let him hit free agency.
Huff “may land a contract that pays him $15 million annually, according to projections by cap experts,” according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
Huff entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent and made only $6.4 million in his first four seasons, according to Cimini. He is prepared to receive a sizable salary for the first time in his professional life.
Huff made it clear to the media following the regular season finale that he was not accepting a “hometown discount.”
At the NFL Combine, Connor Hughes of SNY put it succinctly: “Huff will go to whoever pays the most money.”
The Jets’ Next Move in the Process
The Huff-Jets fantasy hasn’t given up completely. In principle, there is still time to work out a deal even though the franchise tag was not applied.
According to Rich Cimini, “The Jets still have five days of exclusive negotiation rights before the legal tampering,” even if they haven’t yet been very pushy.
The NFL’s legal tampering period begins at noon on Monday, March 11.
According to the NFL operation manual, “clubs are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents upon the expiration of their 2023 player contracts at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 13 during the period beginning at 12:00 noon, New York time, on March 11 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 13.”
The Jets are the only team that can legitimately talk to Huff about a contract until then. Pressure is what forms diamonds, so maybe that will assist stoke the two parties’ contract talks.
However, based on general manager Joe Douglas’s language, it seems the Jets are okay with Huff testing the open market.
At the NFL Combine, Douglas stated of Cimini, “He definitely deserves this opportunity to see where he is in the open market.”
Huff may or may not give the Jets a chance to match any deal that is offered to him. He should set up an open market bidding war between Gang Green and other interested teams.
Huff’s market appraisal is among the “toughest” he has ever had to project, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post, who I spoke with on “The Boy Green Show.”
Huff has performed admirably in his snaps as a rotational player. For such a player, how much do you pay them? particularly considering his age and his elite status in the league?
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