Jets, ex-Cardinals defensive tackle Leki Fotu agree to terms
Cardinals defensive tackle Leki Fotu looks on during an NFL game against the Broncos on Dec. 18, 2022, in Denver. Credit: AP/Bart Young
The Jets added more depth to their defensive line on the second day of NFL free agency.
They agreed to terms with former Cardinals tackle Leki Fotu on a one-year deal for $2.5 million, a league source said. Fotu was the fourth player that Jets general manager Joe Douglas reached a deal with since Monday and the second defensive tackle.
Deals can’t become official until Wednesday afternoon when the new NFL league year begins.
Fotu, 25, was a fourth-round pick of Arizona in 2020. In 56 games, 21 of them starts, Fotu has 89 tackles and 3.5 sacks. The 6-foot-5, 334-pound Fotu is known more as a run stuffer and could fill the role that Al Woods had last season before he tore his Achilles tendon.
The Jets made a flurry of moves late Monday night, coming to terms with veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor, left guard John Simpson and defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw.
Nothing splashy, but they were important acquisitions that filled some needs. The Jets have many more that Douglas has to address.
Rebuilding the offensive line to protect Aaron Rodgers is imperative. The Jets still have to add an offensive tackle and perhaps another guard. They also need a reliable, productive wide receiver to take some of the defensive attention away from Garrett Wilson.
Douglas remains measured in his approach, which is probably frustrating Jets fans who want to see him spend big for big names during this critical offseason. Douglas is staying true to his philosophy of not spending too much and maintaining the flexibility to be involved when a star player the Jets like becomes available.
“There's a lot of talent coming back to this team, we have to add more to it,” Douglas said last week. “We know exactly what we have to do moving forward.”
The most significant pickup to this point has been Taylor. The Jets were not going to go into this season without a proven veteran to back up Rodgers. Taylor was one of the better ones out there.
“You need a backup quarterback,” Jets owner Woody Johnson said last month. “We didn’t have one last year.”
The well-traveled Taylor, who spent the last two seasons with the Giants, is 28-28-1 as a starter. He’s mobile and usually takes care of the football. Taylor has thrown 65 touchdown passes and 29 interceptions. The one concern is his durability.
Simpson is a better run blocker than pass, but he allowed just one sack in 17 starts for Baltimore last season. He will fill the left guard spot that opened when Laken Tomlinson was released.
The Jets needed depth at tackle with Solomon Thomas, Quinton Jefferson and Woods heading for free agency. Fotu and Kinlaw, a first-round pick of the 49ers in 2020 when Robert Saleh was their defensive coordinator, shore up the position. There’s still a chance Thomas returns.
Sauce claps back at Hardman
All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner had strong words about ex-Jets receiver Mecole Hardman, who criticized the Jets culture and some of their coaches during a recent appearance on Ryan Clark’s Podcast “The Pivot.”
Gardner went on Clark’s podcast and said it was “ungrateful” for Hardman to “discredit” the Jets after they traded him to eventual Super Bowl champ Kansas City. Hardman had the winning touchdown catch in the Super Bowl. Gardner said he was happy for Hardman’s success, but he should have taken “the high road” when it came to his old team.
“When I met Mecole,” Gardner said, “the first thing I thought is like he talks a lot. So I really wasn’t surprised by him getting on the podcast and just talking about everything.”
Gardner also said Hardman didn’t hold himself accountable when he was a Jet.
“He never earned his stripes,” Gardner said. “He came into the facility and just thought he had it made.
“If you know what it takes to win, you're not going to go to practice and drop (a lot of) punts and then have excuses as to why you're dropping them. You're not going to go in a special teams meeting and get cussed out by a special teams coordinator. Certain things that’s not going to happen if you truly know what it takes to win.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
