The Baltimore Ravens have sorted through a former New York Jets yard sale.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport revealed that the Ravens have signed offensive lineman Laken Tomlinson to the practice squad. In a corresponding roster move, the Ravens cut ties with veteran pass rusher Carl Lawson.
Ghosts of Jets Free Agency Past
The Jets have developed a reputation for spending big money in free agency. However, their hit rate on said players is more infamous than famous.
In 2021, the Jets signed Lawson to a three-year, $45 million contract with $30 million guaranteed. They stole him away from the Cincinnati Bengals, who pivoted to Trey Hendrickson on the open market on a four-year $60 million contract.
Since 2021, Lawson has registered 12 sacks and 39 quarterback hits. Over that same span of time, Hendrickson has collected 61 sacks and 120 quarterback hits.
A year later, the Jets took another big swing in the trenches, this time signing Tomlinson to a three-year $40 million deal with $23.9 million of that guaranteed.
With the San Francisco 49ers, Tomlinson developed an “Iron Man” reputation for always being available. That continued during his tenure with the Jets. He appeared in 34 out of 34 possible games. However, the Jets probably wished he wasn’t available for that stretch of games, considering how poorly he performed.
“The former Detroit Lions first-round pick (2015) struggled with consistency and failed to live up to expectations. He allowed 9.5 sacks in 2023, the second most among guards, according to NFL Next Gen Stats,” ESPN’s Rich Cimini wrote in February of 2024.
Can the Jets Learn From Christmas Past?
The green and white are set to have north of $100 million in cap space in 2026, per Over The Cap. That projected total ranks fourth most in the NFL.
Gang Green is set to have even more bags of money in 2027. According to Over The Cap, the Jets are set to have $210 million, which is by far the most in the NFL.
What does that mean?
Hopefully, the Jets learned a few lessons from their free agent mistakes in the past and could utilize that information in the future.
Of course, the general manager, Joe Douglas, who signed Lawson and Tomlinson, is no longer employed by the Jets, but still, lessons can be learned from your predecessors.
New Jets GM Darren Mougey was a bit more selective with his free agent spending in year No. 1. However, after a 3-10 start to his first season, Mougey will be more inclined to flex his aggressive muscles to improve the talent pool of the roster this offseason.
Free Agency Is a Necessary Evil for Bad Teams
In free agency, everyone gets overpaid. The key is making sure you overpay for the right things on the open market.
The Jets will have no shortage of needs when the new league year kicks off in March of 2026. What they need to do is balance which needs they can attack in free agency and then follow up with a strong plan in the NFL draft.
In the NFL, free agency comes before the draft. In the NBA, the draft happens before free agency.
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