No Deadline Deals for Shorthanded Jets, Joe Douglas Reacts

'Made a lot of calls on a lot of different positions' without reaching any agreements

The NFL trade deadline came and went with the New York Jets standing pat.

There was no trading for offensive line help or big-play ability at receiver prior to Tuesday's 4:00 pm ET cut-off.

"A lot of calls. Obviously, there needs to be buyers, there needs to be sellers. We made a lot of inquires, a lot of discussions about a lot of different positions, but ultimately, we didn’t get any other deals done," said general manager Joe Douglas after the trade deadline expired. "That’s where we are, but excited about these next 10 games."

The Jets will embark on the next 10 games needing to stabilize an injury-ravaged offensive line while also kick-starting an offense that has managed to score only eight touchdowns in seven games. 

With starting center Connor McGovern and backup guard Wes Schweitzer on Injured Reserve, the hope is second-round rookie Joe Tippmann will be back sooner than later. Injuring his quad in the Week 6 win over Philadelphia, Tippmann may be ready to return for the Monday Night Football matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. Despite the inability to add an offensive lineman via trade, the Jets picked up one possible reinforcement by inking 14th-year NFL veteran Rodger Saffold to a Practice Squad deal on Tuesday. 

In addition to failing to acquire assistance through a trade, Douglas and Co. were unable to trade away rarely-deployed veterans Carl Lawson and Dalvin Cook.

It was widely speculated that Lawson and/or Cook could be on the move because of their reduced roles over the season's first seven games. 

"We had had talks with a lot of teams. Ultimately, we did what we felt was best for the team. Those guys are great teammates and great players," said Douglas.

Although they don't appear to fit into the team's plans moving forward, as evidenced by their dropping snap counts, it doesn't hurt to have a four-time Pro Bowl running back and an experience edge rusher as injury insurance over the course of a rigorous 17-game NFL schedule. Just last year, Cook rushed for more than 1,100 yards and Lawson recorded 7.0 sacks.

"I have a feeling we are going to need those guys a lot down the stretch. They are assets to this team, so we are glad they are here," said Douglas.

Two weeks ago, the Jets unloaded little-used veteran slot receiver Mecole Hardman after signing him to a one-year contract this past March. In their lone trade, Gang Green sent Hardman to the Kansas City Chiefs while exchanging late-round 2025 draft picks.

"A lot of calls, a lot of conversations, ultimately, we only did one trade last week with Mecole," said Douglas.

'Frustrated' RB Dalvin Cook Addresses Reduced Role

With the Jets lacking a full complement of draft picks in 2024, it is a bit surprising that one of the aforementioned veterans wasn't used to bolster the organization's draft capital. Likewise, the shortage of 2024 selections likely hampered the Jets' ability to trade for a plug-and-play piece.

The Jets own only five total selections in the seven-round 2024 NFL Draft — Round 1, Round 3, Round 4, Round 4 (from DEN), Round 6.

"We made a lot of calls on a lot of different positions and again, it takes two to tango. So, there were a lot of calls, but we didn’t get a lot of deals done," said Douglas.

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