Jets' Projected $24 Million 'Starting-Caliber' FA Target Meeting With Panthers

There’s a young safety still available for the New York Jets in free agency, but he’s scheduled to meet with another team on Monday.

Have the Jets missed a good opportunity to improve their defense?

New York has already done solid work this offseason to strengthen its secondary, but adding one more safety would be ideal. Both of these points were recently raised by The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt.

“(Andre) Cisco was a smart signing, a young player coming off a down year but who has historically been a play-maker, forcing five turnovers in 2023,” Rosenblatt wrote.

“He’ll plug in right away as a starter. (Tony) Adams (who still has to sign his restricted free agent tender) is worth developing, but might be better served as a third safety.”

“It would be prudent for the Jets to add another starting-caliber safety either in the NFL Draft or free agency. Julian Blackmon is a starting-caliber, under-30 veteran still available.”

The 26-year-old Blackmon has been a productive player for the Indianapolis Colts since Indy selected him at No. 85 overall in the 2020 NFL draft out of Utah.

Blackmon has tallied 300 tackles, 21 pass deflections, and 10 interceptions thus far in his career — numbers that have him projected by Spotrac to land a three-year, $24 million deal this offseason.

Blackmon is exactly the kind of prime-aged, defensive asset that Jets GM Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn would be interested in acquiring.

Unfortunately for the Jets, Blackmon might be joining the Carolina Panthers. At the very least, he was scheduled to meet with Carolina on Monday, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

“Free agent S Julian Blackmon is on a free agent visit to the #Panthers today, sources say,” Rapoport posted to X on Monday morning.

“Blackmon has been a starter with the #Colts for the last five years. Carolina is still looking to add on defense, with Blackmon being the latest they’re taking a look at.”

Have the Jets been beaten to the punch on Blackmon? It’s possible, but the more likely scenario is that Mougey and Glenn have already decided to pass on Blackmon for financial reasons. New York has a ton of other roster needs and has already made a signing at safety in Cisco.

Mougey hasn’t made any moves this offseason which indicate that he doesn’t have a rock-solid plan in place to revamp the franchise and get off to a good start in the Glenn era.