With free agency just about two months away, Tim Graham of ESPN writes that the Jets will have a lot on their plate from a restricted free agent standpoint. Graham notes that this year will be special because of the potential CBA issues which would trigger an uncapped year. In this case, “players can’t become unrestricted free agents in an uncapped year unless they have six years of NFL experience. The usual minimum is four years.”

So who for the Jets would be in this predicament?

QB Kellen Clemens
CB Drew Coleman
WR Braylon Edwards
DT Howard Green
OT Wayne Hunter
WR Brad Smith
S Eric Smith
RB Leon Washington

While Ferguson and Mangold were rookies with many of these guys, they also signed longer deals (five years for Mangold, six for D’Brick), as first rounders usually do .. which explains why Edwards, a 2005 rookie, is in this mix here. So although the Jets might address Mangold’s contract in the coming year, they’re not under the gun to do so just yet.

Since I started blogging about the Jets in 2004, I think that this is hands-down the best RFA class that the team has had in that time. In that list of eight players, there’s really only one maybe two guys that I think the Jets won’t try their hardest to keep around. My thought would be that Kellen Clemens and Drew Coleman would be likely candidates as guys the team doesn’t feel compelled to go forward with, but it’s hard to say exactly what the team will do. Their primary concern will of course be Washington and Edwards, and the rest will have to fall into place after that. What I would say is that it’s the strength of some of the middle guys as contributors (not necessarily starters) that makes this class so unique.

From thejetsblog.com. Please read the complete article and let us know what you think below.