Lawson logged 5.5 sacks in his contract year as a

The Cincinnati Bengals made a smart choice, according to the results, while the New York Jets made a terrible choice. One can only sit and wonder what may have been with defensive end Carl Lawson approaching the empty year on the free-agent deal he signed back in 2021. Lawson’s time as a Jet was mostly seen as a failure. His Cincinnati successor, however, prospered. Lawson was apparently playing at a high level during his first training camp as a Jet after agreeing to a three-year, $45 million contract, until he tore his Achilles during preseason practice. Lawson recovered from missing the whole 2021 season to start all 17 games and rack up 7.0 sacks in 2022.
Due to a back ailment that he sustained during the preseason, Lawson was unable to maintain his momentum into the 2023 campaign and fell down the Jets’ depth chart. The 28-year-old, who appeared in just six games and had five tackles, was often a healthy scratch. The Bengals spent a comparable amount of money to entice free agency defensive end Trey Hendrickson away from the New Orleans Saints in 2021 rather than re-signing Lawson. Hendrickson was coming off 13.5 sacks over 15 games for the Saints, while Lawson recorded 5.5 sacks in his contract year as a Bengal. Spotrac reports that the Bengals signed Hendrickson to a $60 million four-year contract while New York signed Lawson for an average annual value of $15 million.
Since joining the Bengals, Hendrickson has been selected to three straight Pro Bowls and has accumulated 39.5 sacks in three seasons. Compared to Jets team leader Bryce Huff, he has 7.5 more QB takedowns in 2023 with 17.5 sacks. Over the course of a forgettable stint, the Jets paid Lawson $6.43 million per sack, partly due to terrible luck. It would be an understatement to suggest that the Bengals saw a far higher return on their investment.
Choosing Lawson over Hendrickson was maybe Joe Douglas’s worst move as general manager of the Jets. The good news is that it’s unlikely the Jets will invest a significant amount of money this offseason on a Lawson successor. Even before selecting Will McDonald in the first round of last year’s draft, New York had a strong defensive end corps. The Jets may lose Huff to free agency, but starters Jermaine Johnson and John Franklin-Myers have contracts that yet expire.