Image Credit: (Bill Kostroun/NY Post)
Written by: Nicholas Mullick Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-mullick-354076184/
Twitter: @nicholasmullick
The NFL trade deadline may have passed, but I will be continuing to grade every transaction made during that deadline. A lot of moves after all happened at that time. This trade focuses on DE/EDGE Jacob Martin who is being moved from the New York Jets to the Denver Broncos. The details of this trade is down below.
Trade Details
Denver Broncos Acquire: DE/EDGE Jacob Martin and a 2024 5th Round Pick New York Jets Acquire: 2024 4th Round Pick
Denver Broncos Side
This is the Bradley Chubb replacement on the defense, I guess. As a reminder, Denver traded Chubb to the Miami Dolphins earlier in the trade deadline. However Denver did not really need to being Martin in as they got plenty of players at the DE/EDGE position.
Then when you look at the injury report for the Denver Broncos, it is a bit clearer as to why they acquired Martin from the Jets. Baron Browning is dealing with a wrist injury (Even though he fits more as a linebacker they have given him snaps at DE/EDGE), Randy Gregory has a knee injury, and even Aaron Patrick is out for the year due to a Torn ACL. Martin should be the starter for the short term, but when the Broncos are healthier, I guess Denver will use him as a rotational piece. His cap hit for this season is not too terrible and Martin showed flashes during his time with the Jets and was the literally only good pass rusher in Houston during the 2021 season. This could be a solid addition if he makes an impact.
New York Jets Side
So much for having a great amount of depth at DE/EDGE. Honestly though I don’t mind this trade as a Jets fan. Martin was a player that I thought was a sleeper signing as Martin was the only good pass rusher on the Houston Texans in the 2021 NFL Season. So far he has not been that great with the Jets and is easily the lowest productive pass rusher on the team. Plus Jermaine Johnson and Vinny Curry (How he is still a Jet shocks me) coming back from injuries, Martin was going to be back to a rotational backup player. Martin during the offseason signing a 3 year contract worth 13.5 million dollar contract and having cap hits at 575 thousand (2022), 5 million (2023), and 3.5 million dollars (2024) is a bit much for a player being a rotational backup piece. Trading Martin also gives more snaps to players that the Jets feel more comfortable with in the future and have more of an impact on defense. Especially Bryce Huff who has been a hidden gem on this defense at THE/EDGE. So why not trade him now before his cap hit grows and get a draft pick upgrade.
Grades for Jacob Martin Trade
Denver Broncos: B+ New York Jets: B+
Tough one to grade here and It was difficult for me to have one team as the higher grade. So I decided to give both teams the same trade as this was a win-win move. The Jets get a pick upgrade for a player that they were barely going to use and got out of a potential bad contract. The Broncos win as they get pass rush help that they desperately need due to injuries and trading Bradley Chubb during the trade deadline. The Broncos also did not have to sacrifice a lot of value to get this done and only pushed a draft pick to the next round. Overall great move by both Denver Broncos GM George Paton and New York Jets GM Joe Douglas. Hopefully this deal works out for both parties and especially Jacob Martin.