New York Jets Pushed to Pursue Trade with Cleveland Browns

Could the New York Jets pursue a trade with the Cleveland Browns before the 2024 season?

Aug 12, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Jets helmet on the sidelines against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Throughout the entire NFL, excitement is beginning to rise about football coming back. For the New York Jets, the excitement is reaching a major high once again with Aaron Rodgers set to return and an insanely talented roster on both sides of the football in place.

Joe Douglas has not held back anything while trying to build out a Super Bowl roster. He has accomplished enough to make the Jets a legitimate contender in the AFC.

While the roster is pretty set, there could be some moves that come up throughout training camp and the preseason that could be made. Adding depth would still be a wise investment.

Brandyn Pokrass of Jets X-Factor proposed three potential trade targets for New York to monitor. One of them would involve bringing back a very familiar face.

He believes that former Jets' defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson of the Cleveland Browns could be a potential target.

"If Jefferson slips down the depth chart, a reunion with the Jets makes sense. New York can still improve its interior defensive line. Jefferson only has a cap hit of $1.98 million, and he is familiar with producing in Saleh’s scheme. He may have departed in the offseason, but if Jefferson falls out of favor in Cleveland, it may not be time to say goodbye to him in New York just yet."

Jefferson would be a very nice depth addition on the defensive line. His familiarity with the defense would be clutch in case of injury.

During the 2023 season with New York, Jefferson played in 14 games. He compiled 34 total tackles to go along with six sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

The 31-year-old defensive tackle is still a valuable asset for a team that wants to contend.

Standing in at 6-foot-4 and 290 pounds, Jefferson can accomplish two things on the defensive line. He can help plug up the middle of the line to shut down the run and he can get to the passer.

It doesn't seem likely that the Browns would want to move on from Jefferson so quickly after they signed him. However, if for some reason they do, the Jets should absolutely pursue him.

All of that being said, football is almost back. New York should be a fun team to watch this season and it will be interesting to see what comes during training camp and preseason action.