Jets' Bryce Huff is everything he thought he would be, and then some

John Franklin-Myers remembers a conversation he had one night with Bryce Huff before the Jets’ 2020 training camp. The undrafted rookie free agent told Franklin-Myers in no uncertain terms that he would make the team.

“He told me, ‘I’m going to get to camp and I’m going to [expletive] somebody up,’ ” Franklin-Myers recalled. “That was almost word-for-word what he said. From that day, he’s lived up to it. Undrafted, coming in and saying something bold like that and actually backing it up with play over the years, shoot, great for him.”

Huff has established himself as one of the NFL’s better pass rushers and will be rewarded handsomely this offseason.

In the new year, Huff will get himself a lucrative new contract.

Robert Saleh’s defense is predicated on the front being disruptive. Edge rushers are at such a premium that it would be surprising if the Jets didn’t re-sign Huff.

“He’s brought a lot to us, and he’s provided some rush that we didn’t have, especially a win-now guy,” defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said. “He can win now and that’s coveted in today’s football. To see what he’s earned, I’m excited for his future. Not only more opportunities to play but the money he’s about to make. It’s going to be substantial and he’s earned every penny of it.”

The Jets could franchise-tag Huff, but it’s projected to be about $23 million. The Jets likely won’t go that high. They need to devote resources to fixing the offensive line and adding a big-name receiver. But they will try to keep Huff and he wants to remain a Jet.

“It would be really cool to be here for a winning team and to be here when everything clicks and everything comes together,” Huff said. “At the same time, I got to do the things that are in my best interest, whether that is here or whether that is somewhere else. It’s really just up in the air and out of my control.”

Huff, 25, leads the Jets with eight sacks. He totaled 7.5 his first three seasons. He also is among the league leaders in quarterback pressure rate and pass-rush win rate. The 6-3, 255-pound Huff has one of the quickest get-offs in the league.

After being used mostly in passing situations, he has played on more run downs this season. He still needs some work there, but his effectiveness as a pass rusher and value to the Jets are clear.

Huff played the ninth-most snaps on the Jets’ defensive line last year. He’s fifth this season. He has played a career-best 454 snaps. He’s the only player in the NFL with at least eight sacks who has played fewer than 518 snaps.

“I’ve always been confident in myself,” he said. “It was just a matter of getting the right opportunity. I started off as a third-down guy because we had so many people in the room. There wasn’t really space for me to play on base downs as well as third downs.

“This year, you had a little bit more snaps to spread around, so I was able to put some stuff on film as far as stopping the run and setting the edges along with rushing the passer. I felt like it was only a matter of time before I got the right opportunity.”

Huff is a self-made player who has constantly had to prove himself.

After attending Memphis, he was not invited to the Senior Bowl in his hometown of Mobile, Alabama, or the NFL Combine. He had his pick of teams to sign with as an undrafted rookie free agent and chose the Jets after being coached by Blake Williams in the 2020 East-West Shrine Bowl.

Blake Williams, the son of former Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, was a Jets defensive assistant in 2019 and 2020.

“We got to know each other,” Huff said. “He explained to me that we have a legitimate role for you in our defense as a rookie, so if you come in here, you have a shot. I’m glad I did because I feel like if I wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity that I did with Coach Williams and the staff here at the time, I probably wouldn’t even be in this position that I’m in today.”

Defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton thought Huff “had some gas” and tried to sign him when he was with the 49ers in 2020. A year later, Whitecotton came with Saleh to the Jets. He started working with Huff and was proved right.

“I’m really happy with the growth,” Whitecotton said. “Just thinking about where he was in ’21 when we got here to where he is now, a credit to that young man for how hard he’s worked and how much he’s improved.”

Like Franklin-Myers, Quinnen Williams has been with Huff his entire time with the Jets. He always believed Huff would “show the world” what he can do.

“I’ve been seeing it every single day that he got the capability to be one of the best edge rushers in the league,” Williams said. “For him to show the world that same ability is phenomenal. His ceiling is unknown. I can’t wait to see him just grow and get better.”

The Jets helped develop Huff. Making sure he doesn’t get away might be one of their New Year’s resolutions.

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.