First glance: Making it all the way to the AFC Championship last season was a huge surprise for many people around the league and elsewhere, but for the Jets it wasn’t enough. Instead of resting on their laurels and taking another shot with the team they already had in place, New York went all out this off-season and it could pay off big time dividends if they can reach their first Super Bowl since Broadway Joe took them their in 1969.

2009 Record: 9-7 (2nd AFC East)

Key Additions: QB Mark Brunell, RB LaDainian Tomlinson, WR Santonio Holmes, DE/OLB Jason Taylor, ILB Lance Laury, CB Antonio Cromartie, S Brodney Pool, K Nick Folk

Key Losses: RB Leon Washington, RB Thomas Jones, G Alan Faneca, NT Howard Green, CB Lito Sheppard, CB Donald Strickland, FS Kerry Rhodes, K Jay Feely

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Today definitely has shaped up as the perfect storm for first round picks inking deals with their respective clubs, and that trend continued tonight with the Jets finalizing a contract with their top pick, cornerback Kyle Wilson.

According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter), the terms of Wilson’s agreement are for five seasons at $13 million, with $7 million in guaranteed money.

Wilson was as dominant as they come during his tenure at Boise State, and should be an immediate contributor for the Jets on special teams, given his prowess in the return game.

Now that the Patriots have finally exorcised linebacker Adalius Thomas from their inner circle, you would think that he’d be a hot commodity with teams that run a 3-4 style defense, but for now it seems as though the interest in Thomas is lacking in both quantity and quality.

That said, there are still a few clubs out there that could kick the tires on Thomas so to speak, including Miami, Kansas City, and the New York Jets.

According to Albert Greer of the Boston Globe, the Dolphins still remain open to the possibility of having Thomas join them this season, but their desire to sign him is waning somewhat, as they would prefer tos stick with their younger players in the linebacker corps.

Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan does have a preference towards bringing Thomas in, but the remainder of the team’s coaching staff and front office are not necessarily in agreement on that front, making an acquisition of Thomas unlikely at this point.

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Prior to this off-season, the Jets weren’t exactly known for their propensity to wheel and deal during the draft. But after blockbuster free agent period netted them Antonio Cromartie, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Jason Taylor, New York mad yet another splash in the pool this morning with their release of Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca and their trade of  running back Leon Washington to Seattle.

According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, the Jets will pay $5.25 million to Faneca in spite of his release. Faneca’s play has dipped significantly in recent years, and was expected to be a casualty for New York at some point or another.

As for Washington, the knee injury he suffered last season gave the Jets enough cause for concern that they selected USC running back Joe McKnight in the fourth round, making Washington expendable. Shortly afterward, the Seahawks came calling and New York quickly pulled the trigger on a deal that netted them a fifth round selection this year.

In a deal that was bound to happen sooner or later, the New York Jets have agreed in principle to a contract with free agent defensive end Jason Taylor.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal is for two seasons and is worth an estimated $13 million. If things do not work out as planned, New York can extricate themselves from the contract after just one season, paying Taylor $3.75 million this year.

Taylor joins a Jets squad that has been completely revamped this off-season, with cornerback Antonio Cromartie, wide receiver Santonio Holmes, and running back LaDainian Tomlinson headlining their acquisitions.

The AFC East has been a hotbed of activity this off-season, with just about every team upgrading its roster via trade or free agency. The only club that hasn’t done much is Buffalo, but they’re expected to make headway with their draft picks next week, so in the long run, every team in the division should be improved, on paper anyway.

With just a week left to go before the NFL Draft commences at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, it’s a perfect time to start our analysis of how each division is shaping up, and break down each team’s needs as it stands right now. Enjoy and feel free to let us know what you think via the comment section…

Buffalo Bills (6-10)

Analysis: The Bills have more than a few holes to fill with this draft, especially after they failed to do much of anything in free agency this off-season. The additions they did make are nice, and will likely help next season, but the players they’ve lost outweigh that group by a long shot, and as such, Buffalo’s brain trust will have their work cut out for them next week. Read the rest of this entry »

In a move that can only be described as a shocking, the New York Jets acquired wide receiver Santonio Holmes from Pittsburgh earlier late last night.

According to ESPN New York, the Jets will send their fifth round pick in this year’s draft to the Steelers, in return for Holmes, who had seemingly established himself as the go to receiver in Pittsburgh over the past two seasons.

Holmes has been involved in several off the field incidents recently, with the latest involving a woman at a Florida nightclub who is claiming Holmes threw a glass at her, cutting her skin above the eye.

The Super Bowl XLIII MVP will now join a much improved Jets offense, alongside former Browns receiver Braylon Edwards and former Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson.

Earlier this afternoon, we posted that sources close to former Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson were saying he would playing in New York next fall.  That speculation has officially become a reality this evening, after ESPN reported that Tomlinson and the New York Jets have agreed on a two year contract.

Tomlinson had previously visited the Minnesota Vikings last Thursday, spent friday in New York, and flew home to San Diego on Saturday.

The Jets released pro bowl running back Thomas Jones earlier this off season, despite his excellent 2009 campaign.Tomlinson will now join the Jets as the third piece in New York’s rushing attack, along with Shonn Greene, and Leon Washington.

Shocking as it may seem at first glance, future Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson is on his way to New York City to sign with the Jets, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Acee did caution that the deal is not final as of yet, but sources close to Tomlinson have indicated that the former Chargers great has chosen New York over Minnesota, and will share carries with second year running back Shonn Greene next season.

Tomlinson was released by San Diego late last month and has patiently waited for his turn in free agency to come around. After stopping off to visit with the Vikings for a few days, Tomlinson carried on to see the Jets, who have an opening at the position because of their decision to cut Thomas Jones loose two weeks ago, in spite of his tremendous performance for the club last season.

As always, we’ll keep you up to date as news breaks on this story.

Hurt feelings can be a powerful motivator, and this afternoon free agent running back Thomas Jones exemplified that in a big way, signing a contract with the Chiefs, after being unceremoniusly dumped by New York.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Jones has agreed to a two year deal for $5 million, with $500,000 in incentives.

Cut loose last week by the Jets after three extremely productive seasons, Jones set out to prove his detractors in New York wrong. In spite of his age (he’ll be 32 in the fall), Jones has proven to be one of the more durable backs in the league in recent years, racking up 931 carries for 3,833 yards and 28 touchdowns during his tenure with the Jets.

Jones will now provide the Chiefs with a one-two punch at running back alongside their standout third year runner Jamaal Charles, who had a stellar second half in the 2009 campaign.

Mark this down as conjecture at this point, but based on various reports around the league, the 49ers have begun to show interest in signing restricted free agent running back Leon Washington (Jets) to a offer sheet in the near future.

Washington was only tendered with a second round offer, and as such he could be seen as an intriguing option for teams in need of a speedy runner offensively and a talented return man on special teams. San Francisco certainly fits that bill, and while Washington’s nasty leg injury from last season may scare off a few potential suitors, the sacrifice of a second round pick for a player who has proven himself to be a very dangerous weapon may be worth the risk.

At this point, neither side has openly spoken with the other, but that could change as the week progresses, with teams beginning to focus more on the restricted free agent market and players who have been let go as a result of other signings.

As always, we’ll keep you posted when anything new hits the wire.

Heading into the free agency period yesterday, Arizona knew they were going to have problems next year at safety if they didn’t make a move. But after watching their offer to bring back Antrel Rolle fall by the wayside, the Cards wasted little time in striking a deal with the Jets to get Kerry Rhodes in the fold.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, New York agreed to trade away Rhodes to Arizona after the Cardinals offered up a fourth round pick in this year’s draft and a seventh round selection in the 2011 class. No word yet on whether they’ll make a push to extend Rhodes’ contract, but given that there’s still three seasons remaining on it, there’s no rush to get anything done.

Rhodes had made several public comments indicating he was looking to get away from the Jets this off-season, and while New York stayed quiet on that front for the most part, it seemed as though it was just a matter of time before this deal or something similar went down.