After failing to address their offensive tackle need until Day 3 of the NFL draft, the New York Jets bolstered the position Monday by signing veteran free agent Billy Turner, the team announced.
Turner, 31, who started seven games last season for the Denver Broncos, will be reunited with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Before playing for Hackett in Denver, Turner was a full-time starter for the Green Bay Packers, where he blocked for Rodgers from 2019 to 2021. Hackett was a member of that coaching staff as the offensive coordinator.
Turner will sign a one-year contract that could be worth up to $3.1 million, according to a report by the NFL Network.
The Jets are trying to load up at the tackle position to create competition. Many thought they would draft a tackle in the first round, but they didn’t pick one until the fourth round — Pitt’s Carter Warren. The holdovers at tackle are Duane Brown, 37, oft-injured Mekhi Becton and Max Mitchell.
Curiously, the Jets haven’t announced their decision on whether they will exercise Becton’s fifth-year option. They’re not expected to do so, sources said. The deadline is Tuesday.
Turner played exclusively at right tackle last season for the Broncos. If he stays there, he will compete against Mitchell and, possibly, Becton, a natural left tackle who was switched to the right side last season before a season-ending injury in training camp.