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The last time Jordan Whitehead was this excited about a Jets addition, he was as a 10-year-old boy in the crowd at Darrelle Revis’ draft party.
Fifteen years after the Jets drafted his cousin in the first round, Whitehead signed a two-year, $14.25 million contract to join the same secondary, once synonymous with “Revis Island.” Whitehead said Thursday that he and Revis already talked about what to expect with the Jets.
“He keeps it kind of like a big brother: This is what’s going to happen, this is what you’ve got to do, go work. Short and sweet,” Whitehead said. “He told me how great an organization this is and, ‘You’re just a piece to the fire that needs to start burning.’”
Like Revis, Whitehead starred at the University of Pittsburgh. Whereas Revis laid the foundation for his Hall of Fame career with the Jets before he was traded to the Buccaneers, Whitehead is joining coach Robert Saleh’s Jets after making 55 starts and winning a Super Bowl in four seasons for the Bucs.
“What [Saleh] was telling me made me really feel like they wanted me, and they were going to use me the right way to help me win some games for them,” said Whitehead, who claimed “no hard feelings” that Tampa Bay did not offer a contract. “The biggest thing was trust, and I just trust Coach Saleh the way he was talking.”
Safety arguably was the Jets’ biggest need in free agency, even after re-signing Lamarcus Joyner. Whitehead replaces the Saints-bound Marcus Maye, but he wants to be more versatile than slotting in at strong safety.
“I don’t want to be limited,” Whitehead said. “I want to play in the box, I want to play man-to-man, I want to play in the post, blitz. I want to do it all. Just from talking to Coach Saleh, that’s what’s going to happen.”
The 5-foot-10, 198-pound Whitehead is regarded as one of the fiercest hitters in the league.
“When I was little league playing, I just always liked those big hits,” Whitehead said. “On the defensive side, if you don’t get an interception and take it to the house, you don’t get that love. So you have to do something else. I chose to try to do big hits. I pride myself in the weight room, so I make sure my body is able to take it.”
The Jets agreed to terms with defensive end Jacob Martin on a three-year, $13.5 million contract. He totaled a career-high 38 pressures (only John Franklin-Myers had more for the Jets) on 391 pass-rushing snaps for the Texans last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
The younger brother of former Jets linebacker Josh Martin, the 26-year-old Jacob is an analytics darling because he gets a quick-timed jump on the snap. Saleh believes in employing a deep rotation up front, so depending on the Jets’ next move and draft targets, Martin could slide in as a starter with Franklin-Myers on the inside or strengthen the second wave off the edge with Bryce Huff.
Martin has 13.5 sacks in 61 career games, but 14 of his 15 starts came last season — his third since he was traded by the Seahawks in a package for Jadeveon Clowney.
Laken Tomlinson, who made the Pro Bowl last season as a left guard for the 49ers, said he will speak with offensive line coach John Benton soon about whether he is flipping to the right side. Benton coached Tomlinson with the 49ers, and the change in position is expected so that the Jets do not disrupt 2021 first-round pick Alijah Vera-Tucker’s development at left guard.
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