The New York entered the offseason strapped with plenty of salary cap space to make several big splash moves in free agency to help recalibrate the roster. It pushed forward significant efforts to sign a few of the top players available on the open market.

One of which was their pursuit of veteran running back Jerick McKinnon prior to him deciding to sign with the San Francisco 49ers last week on a four-year, $30 million deal. According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, the Jets had reportedly gone all out in their effort to add the 25-year-old to the mix.

Gang Green's pursuit of Cousins dominated the headlines, but the team’s affinity for Vikings running back Jerick McKinnon flew under the radar last week. The Jets engaged in a full-court press to sign the underrated player, according to sources, before the 49ers landed him. McKinnon, 25, drew significant interest, but it ultimately came down to the 49ers and Jets. (The Buccaneers were in the mix as well.)

Following the retirement of Matt Forte, it had immediately left a void in the Jets' backfield to fill this offseason despite still having Bilal Powell in the fold. This had made for an increased focus to land McKinnon given that he has shown to be an effective option through his brief career with much of that coming in the last couple of years.

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GM John Lynch in the middle, Jordan Morgan, TJ Tampa, Jalyx Hunt around him, and San Francisco 49ers wallpaper in the background

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He is coming off arguably his best season in the league with a career-high 570 rushing yards with three touchdowns while posting career bests with 51 catches for 421 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Although he yet to take a full-time starter role, McKinnon has shown plenty of ability to be a dual-threat factor as both a runner and receiver out of the backfield. Along with that, he has also been an effective kickoff returning taking back 12 for 312 yards last season.

Although the Jets had missed out on McKinnon, the team was able to add a proven running back in Isaiah Crowell, who is coming off a respectable season with 853 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. This at least shows that the team still possesses some appeal to top free agents.