With all due respect to D’Brickashaw Ferguson, his retirement could be a blessing in disguise for the New York Jets.
Just days after Ferguson abruptly retired, the Jets traded for Denver Broncos left tackle Ryan Clady, who is three years younger than Ferguson and has a much more impressive résumé.
Ferguson is a solid former fourth overall pick, and it meant a lot that he never missed a snap — let alone a game — in his 10-year career, but he’s 32 and he hasn’t been to a Pro Bowl since 2010.
Clady, meanwhile, has been to the Pro Bowl in each of his last three full seasons and doesn’t turn 30 until September. The concern with him is that covers a five-year stretch because he missed virtually the entire 2013 campaign and didn’t play a game in 2015.
So the Jets lose some durability but gain a younger, more talented player who has started all 16 games in each of his six other seasons. Clady also was a first-team All-Pro in 2009 and 2012, when he was graded by Pro Football Focus as the third-best offensive tackle in the NFL.
Per that same source, Ferguson is coming off by far the worst season of his career, and yet he’d have cost $9 million. That’s exactly what Clady will make in 2016, which makes this a potential coup for Gang Green.
