The Jets quietly missed out on one of their free-agent targets this week.
For all the moves that general manager Joe Douglas has made to restructure the roster, Gang Green still has a void at an important yet overlooked spot: Punter.
The Jets wanted to sign veteran Lions punter Sam Martin before he agreed to a three-year, $7.05 million deal with the Broncos, according to sources. The Jets, who have turned offering cheap, one-year deals into a cottage industry, didn’t budget that much for a punter.
They chose not to re-sign Lachlan Edwards, who finished 12th in punt average and 13th in net punt average among those with at least 50 punts last season, before the start of free agency. Edwards has punted every game since entering the league as a 2016 seventh-round pick.
Martin, who’s entering his eighth season, will count $1.53 million against Denver’s 2020 salary cap. He received a $1.45 million signing bonus, while $550,000 of his $1.05 million base salary in 2020 is guaranteed. In other words, the Broncos committed $2 million at signing.
Martin, who was 14th in punt average and 12th in net average last season (50-plus punts), has non-guaranteed base salaries of $2.3 million and $2.25 million, respectively, in the last two years of his deal.
It’s a solid deal, but not exactly breaking the bank. However, it was too rich for the Jets’ blood.
Gang Green signed Ian Berryman, who lost the Steelers training camp punting competition last year, to a reserve/futures contract after the season. But they’re still looking for an answer.
Edwards remains unsigned. The Jets have kept in contact with Matt Darr, who was brought in to compete with Edwards last training camp. The draft is another potential pathway. Gang Green has continued to do their homework on Texas A&M’s Braden Mann, who won the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s best at the position in 2018.
