New York Jets

Former New York Jets special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff recently released a book about his career, and he revealed some interesting details about his time with the team.

Westhoff didn't hold back in Figure It Out: My Thirty-Two Year Journey While Revolutionizing Pro Football’s Special Teams, and he unloaded when it came to polarizing quarterback Tim Tebow's short stint in New York.

"Another good kid, but not an NFL quarterback. It took him all day to deliver the ball," Westhoff wrote, per Brian Costello of the New York Post. "The whole thing was a disgrace and a mess. I was the only one who kept my end of the bargain."

The Jets acquired Tebow in 2012 along with a seventh-round draft pick from the Denver Broncos in exchange for fourth- and sixth-round picks. When he was brought in, it was expected that he'd play special teams and be used in the wildcat formation on offense. However, nothing played out as the team had predicted.

New York head coach Rex Ryan used Tebow sparingly on offense despite the struggles of starting quarterback Mark Sanchez. Tebow attempted only eight passes and rushed the ball 32 times for 102 yards, failing to reach the end zone in the entire season. On special teams, he ran a couple of fake punts and was used as an extra protector. The Jets released him prior to the 2013 season.

At the time, Westhoff was also vocal about his displeasure with the way the team used Tebow, lamenting the fact that he wasn't deployed the way they originally planned.

"To be honest, I don’t think anyone has really answered that question: Why didn’t we do it?" Westhoff said. "I don’t think anyone has answered that question. I don’t know why. I know we didn’t practice it. We didn’t practice it in training camp. We were going to unveil it. Well, I am still waiting for the unveiling. It was a distraction and really a shame because that’s a hard-working young man if you ever saw one."

Tebow last attempted to play in the NFL prior to the 2021 season. He signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a tight end, but he failed to catch a pass in the preseason before being released in August.

Amid all the Deebo Samuel rumors, the San Francisco 49ers have added some depth to their tight end group.

Former New York Jets tight end Tyler Kroft has signed a one-year deal with the Niners, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Kroft appeared in nine games for the Jets in 2021, catching 16 passes for 173 yards and one touchdown. 

The 29-year-old was a third-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2015 draft. He spent three seasons with the franchise, catching 67 passes for 661 yards and eight touchdowns in 51 games across four seasons. 

When the Bengals let Kroft walk in free agency after the 2018 season, he signed a two-year deal with the Buffalo Bills. In 21 games, he caught 18 passes for 190 yards and four touchdowns. 

After just one season with the Jets in 2021, the team replaced him with former Bengal C.J. Uzomah and former Minnesota Viking Tyler Conklin.

In San Francisco, Kroft will provide some added depth behind George Kittle. However, the 49ers also have Charlie Woerner, Ross Dwelley and Troy Fumagalli on the roster, so he'll have to compete for a spot. 

Garrett Wilson, the second first-round draft pick by the New York Jets, is now officially a member of the team. 

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the 21-year-old agreed to a four-year, fully guaranteed $20.55 million deal with the Jets:

The selection of the Ohio State product finalized the Jamal Adams trade the Jets made with the Seattle Seahawks in July 2020. They received Bradley McDougald, a first- and third-round pick in 2021 and a first-round pick in 2022 in exchange for the safety. 

New York came out of that deal with Wilson and Alijah Vera-Tucker, who was selected with the No. 14 overall pick in 2021. The third-round pick that year was used to trade up with the Minnesota Vikings into the first round to select Vera-Tucker. 

Wilson was the second pick in the top 10 for the Jets. They used their first choice at No. 4 overall on Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner.

While it remains to be seen what Wilson is going to be in the NFL, he could become Zach Wilson's go-to option on the outside right away. The Jets also have Corey Davis and Elijah Moore, but neither looks like a No. 1 option in a good offense. 

B/R's NFL scouting department ranked Wilson as the fifth-best receiver in the class, behind Drake London (No. 5 overall), Chris Olave (No. 10), Jameson Williams (No. 15) and Jahan Dotson (No. 18). He wound up being the second wideout selected after London went to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 8. 

Wilson had an outstanding three-year career at Ohio State, logging 2,213 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns in 32 games since 2019. He was named to the All-Big Ten team in each of the past two seasons, including the first team in 2021.

Expectations will be high for Wilson, and his resume suggests he can be a high-level player for a Jets team that has made several quality moves this offseason.

Could we one day be calling the New York Jets the New Jersey Jets? Or how about the New York Giants the New Jersey Giants? That's what one lawsuit filed by two fans aims to accomplish.

Two football fans are requesting in their $6 billion lawsuit against the Jets, Giants and the NFL that the two teams drop "New York" from their names because they play in East Rutherford, New Jersey, according to Rich Calder of the New York Post.

The federal court complaint filed last month says, per Calder:

New York City is the Big Apple, home of the Statue of Liberty, ... Wall Street and the stock market, Broadway musicals ticker-tape parades ... MetLife Stadium is located in the swamps of East Rutherford, NJ ... , which has a population under 10,000, the 116th largest city in New Jersey. It's not exactly an exciting and romantic destination[,] and the Giants, Jets and MetLife Stadium have absolutely no connection whatsoever with the city, county or state of New York.

The two plaintiffs in the case claim that false advertising "and other fraudulent, deceptive practices" resulted in them believing both teams still played in New York.

They apparently spent a lot of money to see the Jets and Giants play at MetLife Stadium, which is located in New Jersey. One of the plaintiffs told Calder he spent more time traveling to the game than actually watching it at the stadium.

The plaintiffs amended their lawsuit last month after initially requesting that both teams move out of New Jersey and back to New York. According to Calder, both teams and the NFL "laughed off the request."

The Giants left New York in 1976 after agreeing to a deal with the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority to play their home games at a brand-new stadium, later named Giants Stadium, in New Jersey.

At the time, Big Blue had been sharing a home with the New York Yankees and wanted their own stadium.

Meanwhile, the Jets moved to New Jersey and shared Giants Stadium with the G-Men starting in 1984. Gang Green had been sharing Shea Stadium with the New York Mets and their lease expired at the end of the 1983 season.

The Jets tried negotiating terms of a new lease, and after they couldn't reach an agreement to continue playing at Shea Stadium, they moved to New Jersey, joining the Giants.

MetLife Stadium opened in 2010, and the Jets and Giants have played there since.

New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh said he immediately noticed a physical transformation from quarterback Zach Wilson when he arrived for offseason workouts.

"Zach looks good," Saleh told reporters Saturday. "He's definitely hit the weight room. He looks beefy in a good way. He's definitely filled out. He's still got all his looseness in throwing the football and zip and all that stuff. He looks good."

Wilson, the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, is listed at 214 pounds.

For comparison, two of the AFC's top quarterbacks, the Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes (227 pounds) and Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen (237), checked in with quite a bit more weight on their frames.

The extra size pays dividends when forced to absorb hits, especially when a quarterback makes plays while escaping the pocket. Wilson showed some potential to do that while running for 185 yards and four touchdowns last season.

Of course, the main focus will be on whether the 22-year-old BYU product can improve as a pure passer in his second season.

Wilson completed just 55.6 percent of his throws for 2,334 yards with nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions across 13 games in his debut campaign. He ranked 30th out of 31 qualified signal-callers in ESPN's Total QBR.

So far, Saleh has been impressed with Wilson's approach early in Year 2:

He's got a really good early command of the offense and he's doing a really good job in regards to that. There's little things that he's doing where you're seeing a little more security. He's not a rookie, so he's being a little more vocal. He looks good. He's getting more comfortable, obviously grasping the offense. He's never had trouble grasping the offense, but he was a rookie so he goes through it. He's much further ahead at this point than he was a year ago, for sure.

New York's ability to bounce back from a 4-13 record last year to contend for a playoff spot depends heavily on Wilson taking a major step forward this fall.

The Jets haven't qualified for the postseason since reaching the AFC Championship Game in 2010.

Sauce Gardner is officially a New York Jet, putting pen to paper on a four-year, fully guaranteed rookie contract, the franchise announced Saturday.

The Jets selected the 21-year-old with the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft. He was the first of three first-round selections New York made on Day 1, the others being wide receiver Garrett Wilson and defensive end Jermaine Johnson II.

Gardner told reporters after being drafted that he was ready to get down to business.

"I'm just going to keep working hard so that way I'll be able to handle those tough tasks, you know," he said. "... I'm one of the guys that it's easy to get along with me. I don't feel I'm too good for anyone. I make sure I inspire others and lead by example. So I feel my personality will fit in well with New York."

It's no surprise the Jets made Gardner their first selection this year after SNY's Ralph Vacchiano reported in early April that the franchise had "heavy interest" in selecting the standout cornerback.

The Detroit native played his college football at Cincinnati and was widely considered the best available CB in this year's draft class. He helped the Bearcats earn a berth in the College Football Playoff and finished the 2021 campaign with three sacks, three interceptions, four passes defended, 40 tackles and five tackles for loss.

Gardner is expected to become a starter immediately in a rather thin New York secondary. He sits atop a depth chart that includes Bryce Hall, Jason Pinnock, Rachad Wildgoose, D.J. Reed, Brandin Echols and Michael Carter II.

The Detroit Lions and New York Jets "stood out" among the 2022 NFL draft classes, according to ESPN's Todd McShay.

The draft expert released his roundup of favorite picks following the conclusion of the festivities in Las Vegas, giving the Jets plaudits for trading back into the first round to grab defensive end Jermaine Johnson II and the Lions for their bold move up to No. 12 to select wideout Jameson Williams.

The Jets traded picks Nos. 35, 69 and 163 to the Tennessee Titans for Nos. 26 and 101, grabbing Johnson after he surprisingly fell down the draft board. The Florida State product was considered one of the most complete pass-rushers in this class after taking home the 2021 ACC Defensive Player of the Year Award.

"It feels amazing, man. The journey was so long and hard, but it was so rewarding at the same time," Johnson said after being drafted. "And to be able to be selected in the first round, and by the Jets, I'm so excited. When I visited with the Jets, it was a family feel. We clicked instantly. They said they'd come and get me and that's what they did."

The Lions' move was even bolder, using picks Nos. 32, 34 and 66 to nab picks Nos. 12 and 46, taking Wiliams in the process. Williams likely would have been the first receiver off the board if he weren't dealing with an ACL tear that makes it unlikely he's 100 percent healthy for Week 1.

The Alabama product racked up 79 receptions for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns last season, becoming one of college football's most feared deep threats. He'll join a Lions offense that already boasts promising underneath threat Amon-Ra St. Brown, a solid tight end in T.J. Hockenson and an explosive young running back in D'Andre Swift.

While quarterback is still a long-term question mark, Detroit has the makings of a solid young offense moving forward.