On Sunday, the New York Jets made a big move by trading interior defensive lineman Derrick Nnadi to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for draft compensation. Nnadi had spent the entirety of his NFL career with the Chiefs before signing with the Jets this offseason, but now he will be taking his talents back to Kansas City before he even plays a regular season snap in New York.
Despite that move, the Jets may not be done looking to trade some of their roster as the NFL season quickly approaches.
“The #Jets have made three trades since Wednesday and might not be done,” reported NFL insider Jeremy Fowler of ESPN on X, formerly Twitter. “They have quality offensive tackle depth that garners interest. One name to potentially watch is Carter Warren, a fourth-round pick from 2023 who has started six games.”
A new approach for the Jets
These moves would suggest that the Jets are all in on building for the future and trying to extract as much value as possible out of some of the pieces on their current roster as opposed to trying to compete right now, which should be expected considering the current state of the franchise.
The Jets parted ways with Aaron Rodgers this offseason and signed former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields to replace him. Fields didn't perform particularly well during the preseason, and most fans don't expect him to be the man to resurrect the Jets franchise.
This being the case, it appears New York's front office is prioritizing acquiring as many future assets as possible, even if it means parting ways with talented players like Nnadi in the meantime.
The Jets spent the last two years making win-now moves, such as trading for Davante Adams, among others, in order to try to appease Rodgers and put together a Super Bowl-caliber roster. Now, they are taking the exact opposite approach, building for the long game and being more cautious with their moves.
In any case, the Jets are coincidentally slated to begin their 2025 regular season against Rodgers and his new team, the Steelers, on September 7 in front of what is sure to be a rowdy MetLife Stadium Crowd at 1:00 PM ET.
