Jets acquire Morgan Moses from Ravens to help protect Aaron Rodgers, sources say
Morgan Moses (78) looks on during warmups before an NFL football game between the Balitmore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, in Baltimore. Credit: AP/Terrance Williams
The Jets are bringing back an old face to be their new starting right tackle.
Morgan Moses, who spent the 2021 season with the Jets, is returning to help protect Aaron Rodgers.
Jets general manager Joe Douglas swung a deal with the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday to acquire Moses in a trade. The Jets are getting Moses and a fourth-round pick (No. 134) from Baltimore for selections in the fourth (112) and sixth round (218), league sources said.
This was a big move by Douglas with more surely to come. Getting more protection for Rodgers is a priority. So is giving him another big-time play-making receiver.
Potential Jets target Calvin Ridley came off the market after receiving a four-year, $92 million contract from the Titans, with $50 million guaranteed. The Jets weren’t going to approach those figures, but there are other receivers that they could pursue.
Mike Williams was released by the Chargers on Wednesday and is now available. Other free-agent options include Marquise Brown and Tyler Boyd. Douglas also could try and trade for one.
Tee Higgins has requested a trade from Cincinnati. There have been rumblings that San Francisco’s Brandon Aiyuk and the Chargers’ Keenan Allen could be on the move. Rodgers would love to reunite with Davante Adams, but the Raiders haven’t shown interest in dealing him.
Either way, Douglas will do what’s necessary to give Rodgers more help and get the most out of his time with the Jets. It’s also imperative that Douglas builds a playoff team this season or he and Robert Saleh will likely be looking for new jobs.
Rebuilding the offensive line with quality and dependable players has been a major focus for the Jets. Moses, 33, certainly fits that description and he didn’t cost the Jets much.
He will make $5.5 million in 2024, the last year of his contract.
He has missed just three games over the past nine seasons. The Jets used 13 different starting offensive line combinations last season. Five different players started at right tackle.
Shortly after news broke that the Jets were trading for Moses, running back Breece Hall tweeted, “My day was made” with two crying-laughing emojis.
Moses was the Jets’ starting right tackle in Saleh’s first season as coach, appearing in all 17 games, including 16 starts. He played well on a one-year deal and could have been a rock at tackle for a team that desperately needs stability on their offensive line — but the Jets were unable to re-sign Moses.
He inked a three-year, $15 million contract with the Ravens that offseason. In two years with Baltimore, Moses played 31 games, all starts. The Ravens were the No. 1 rushing team last season and No. 2 the previous year.
Douglas went into free agency needing to find three new starters on the offensive line and grabbed two from Baltimore’s roster. The Jets also agreed to terms on a two-year deal with left guard John Simpson.
The Jets could look to land another offensive lineman in free agency. They still need a left tackle. Former Cowboy Tyron Smith is out there as well as former Packer David Bakhtiari, Rodgers’ close friend. The Jets also could use the No. 10 pick in next month’s draft on a tackle.
As of now, the Jets have Moses, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Joe Tippmann and Simpson as their likely starting offensive linemen.
More Morstead
The Jets made another important move — one that was expected. They’re re-signing punter Thomas Morstead to a two-year deal worth more than $5 million. The Jets wanted to bring back their key special teams players. Kicker Greg Zuerlein got a new two-year contract on Monday.
Morstead had a terrific first season with the Jets. He led the league in punts (99) and yards (4,831), with 36 of them being downed inside the 20. Morstead had three punts downed inside the 5 in a win over the Giants.
On Wednesday afternoon, Morstead posted a picture of himself, surrounded by his family, signing his contract and wrote, “Officially official! So grateful. #Jets #2MoreYears.”
Jets streams
Safety Jordan Whitehead, who started every game the past two seasons for the Jets, won’t return. He’s heading back to Tampa Bay on a two-year deal . . . The Jets officially released tight end C.J. Uzomah with a failed physical designation.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
