On the day the New York Jets missed out on free agent Jadeveon Clowney, another veteran sent a pointed message on social media. John Franklin-Myers posted a message to remind everyone he’s still on the Jets defensive line and no one should overlook him.
“People sleep on me gone wake up workin for me. I treat every day like the 1st and 15th,” Franlin-Myers wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The 27-year-old defensive end, who often moves inside to play on the interior of the line, is not a flashy stud like Clowney. He doesn’t put up gaudy stats. Instead, Franklin-Myers is an extremely reliable rock on a defense that's been Top 5 in the NFL the past two seasons.
Franklin-Myers had 3.5 sacks, 33 tackles and 50 QB pressures playing all 17 games last season. Pro Football Focus gave him a 70.4 overall grade, down from 82.6 and 80.3 the previous two campaigns. So, perhaps that, and the Jets trying to woo Clowney, set the quiet defensive leader off.
Jets looking for edge rusher to replace Bryce Huff
The Jets have been shopping for another edge rusher since Bryce Huff departed for a three-year, $51.1 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles a couple weeks ago. Huff cut into some of Franklin-Myers’ playing time on passing downs the past two seasons, especially in 2023 when he had an NFL career-high 10 sacks.
John Franklin-Myers is a solid pass rusher, though. He combined for 11 sacks in 2021 and 2022 and that number is expected to rise with Huff out of the picture.
But the Jets had Clowney, a former No. 1 overall pick, in for a serious free agent visit last week. It appeared that the two sides were working toward a deal until Clowney signed a two-year, $20 million contract with the Carolina Panthers on Wednesday after racking up 9.5 sacks with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023.
It’s not known what the Jets plan is now. They still to need to add another defensive end, but perhaps now their sites will be set on a backup to Franklin-Myers, not someone who’d eat into his playing time.
John Franklin-Myers even overshadowed by his own Jets teammates
Gang Green already has two first-round picks on the right edge of the line. Jermaine Johnson (2022 draft) was a Pro-Bowl selection last season, breaking out with 7.5 sacks, 56 QB pressures and 55 tackles. Solid against the run as well in pass-rushing situations, Johnson played 66 percent of the defensive snaps and earned an overall 83.0 grade, per PFF.
Will McDonald IV (2023 draft) is a freakish athlete, who, coach Robert Saleh, reiterated again Monday, needs to bulk up to receive more playing time. McDonald managed three sacks and 11 tackles despite playing only 19 percent of the snaps last season.
The two youngsters seem to overshadow Franklin-Myers, too, except when it comes to contract and salary-cap talk. There’s speculation the Jets could rework JFM’s current deal, which is the third-highest cap hit on the team ($16.364 million).
But, as the hulking lineman shared earlier in the day, overlook John Franklin-Myers at your own peril.
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