LONDON — The tears welled in his eyes and rushed down his cheeks. His head dropped as his hands grasped the podium. For the first time, John Franklin-Myers wasn’t smiling. But this wasn’t sadness.
Just before boarding a flight to London, the Jets awarded their 25-year-old defensive end with a four-year, $55 million extension. On Friday, Franklin-Myers addressed it for the first time since he put pen to paper. It had been a whirlwind. Maybe it all hadn’t fully set in.
It was about more than just solidifying his future.
Because it was bigger than him.
Because it was for someone smaller than him.
Franklin-Myers couldn’t hold back his emotion because the only person he could think about was his 2-year-old son, Kyler.
“I play football for him,” he said between tears. “I just want to give him every opportunity.”
And now he has.
This day seemed somewhat unfeasible not long ago. The Rams, not the Jets, drafted Franklin-Myers in the fourth round in 2018. He worked himself into the defensive line rotation as a rookie and sacked Tom Brady in the Super Bowl, but he was forced to compete for a role the next season. Despite a solid training camp and productive preseason, Franklin-Myers found himself dressing for the fourth and final preseason game when so many others rested.
It was then when he realized something wasn’t right. And he was correct. The Rams cut him during their 53-man roster trim. It hurt. It didn’t break him.
“I never lost confidence in myself,” he said.
Claiming Franklin-Myers off waivers was among the first moves Joe Douglas made as the Jets’ general manager. The return just wasn’t immediate. Various injuries kept Franklin-Myers off the field in 2019, but he returned last season. Though he wasn’t guaranteed much, he impressed defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. Franklin-Myers played in 15 games. He had 19 tackles and three sacks.
Those aren’t gaudy numbers. But Franklin-Myers was productive.
The problem: Williams, his staff and his scheme were all replaced after the Jets went 2-14.
In came Robert Saleh, his attacking 4-3 and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
Sometimes staff changes lead to player changes. Not for Franklin-Myers.
“When we first got here, we studied all our players, and one of the guys that stood out to us was JFM,” Saleh said. “Obviously, among other guys, but he stood out. We didn’t know anything about JFM, and man, he can really take off. We felt he could be a really great fit for our system and what we ask out of our defensive line, and he has done nothing but work, work, work.
“He’s been a tremendous leader, and then you see his play on the football field. He’s absolutely dominant at times.”
After four games, Franklin-Myers has developed into one of the stars of the Jets’ surprising defense. He has 15 tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble. Pro Football Focus credited him with 11 hurries and, in addition to the sacks, three quarterback hits. He has a PFF grade of 74.7.
Franklin-Myers was a solid player last season. He has reached a new level this season. In Saleh’s defensive scheme, he’s used similar to how the Giants used Justin Tuck, the Eagles use Brandon Graham and the 49ers use Arik Armstead. Franklin-Myers plays defensive end in the base defense, and in passing situations, he moves inside and lines up as a defensive tackle.
The reason: He’s too strong for tackles but too quick for guards. Basically, he’s a matchup problem.
So, the Jets are using him as such.
“JFM is a stud,” Saleh said. “When you have guys who do things the right way, you have guys who are leaders in the locker room and they produce to his level. … Those are the guys that we want to pay. So, JFM is deserving of it, and we couldn’t be happier to have it done.”
Franklin-Myers has shown no signs he’s slowing down, so why is he signing a contract extension now? The Jets paid Franklin-Myers well, but if he finishes this season with at least eight sacks, he’d enter free agency as one of the top options at a marquee position.
Those players aren’t paid well. They’re paid handsomely well. There’s no reason to believe Franklin-Myers couldn’t have earned a contract similar to the one the Jets gave Carl Lawson in March that was for three years and $45 million with $30 million guaranteed.
“To me, it’s not about the money,” Franklin-Myers said. “We do play football for money, but I think it’s about the environment and getting the opportunity to play with guys and to win games, ultimately. And with this coaching staff and the guys that they give me an opportunity to play with, I think I won’t be in a better position anywhere. And then the defense, it suits me perfectly playing inside and outside.
“So there was no question — once we got the numbers right and mutual interest there — there was no question about it.”
Here are a few more thoughts from Friday:
Healthy Jets
Safety Adrian Colbert, wide receiver Jeff Smith and tight end Tyler Kroft did not travel to London, so they’re out. Safety Marcus Maye is still two weeks away with an ankle injury. All other players, Saleh said, are expected to play against the Falcons. That includes wide receiver Elijah Moore and corner Brandin Echols, who are recovering from concussions.
Making his debut
Tight end Kenny Yeboah should play against the Falcons with Kroft out. An undrafted rookie from Ole Miss, Yeboah had an impressive preseason finale against the Eagles when he caught four passes for 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
There’s no denying Yeboah has talent. From an athletic perspective, he’s the most intriguing option at the position. He struggled with the finer points of playing tight end throughout camp, which is among the reasons he didn’t make the initial 53-man roster. Yeboah didn’t block particularly well. He also dropped more than his share of passes.
It’s unclear what kind of role the Jets will have for Yeboah in his debut, but that he’s expected to play at least warrants monitoring. The Jets haven’t gotten much from Kroft or Ryan Griffin this year, so if Yeboah can show a flash or two, he might remain on the active roster.
Quite the bounce back
It was a rough two-game stretch for rookie quarterback Zach Wilson. He looked like he was seeing ghosts against the Patriots, and then the Broncos made him a human pinata. Taking that much of a beating in the early portions of a season can sometimes break a young quarterback.
Wilson responded by throwing for 297 yards and two touchdowns in the Jets’ 27-24 overtime victory over the Titans. He earned the NFL’s rookie of the week honors.
So, what does he do for an encore?
“I definitely felt like now we understand that we’re really close to being a really good offense and just a team in general,” Wilson said. “There’s definitely things we’re still cleaning up, but it definitely felt like going into this next week that there should be no hesitation. Confidence right from the beginning, to be able to drive the ball down the field and do some things from all phases of the game — I definitely feel like that helped a lot last week.”
Sunday’s game will be the first time Wilson has all of his primary wide receivers available. Corey Davis, Keelan Cole, Jamison Crowder and Moore are all expected to play.
That’s a nice stable of playmakers. He also has quite a few mouths to feed.
How will Wilson keep everyone happy?
“It’s interesting, right?” he said. “Everyone’s always like, ‘He only throws the ball to Corey.’ But like, I don’t think people understand sometimes that I’m just going through my reads. There’s very rarely where I’m looking left and right and it’s like, ‘Hey, where is Corey at?’ I have trust with every single guy on the field.
“With your point there, those guys are going to have their opportunities as plays go on. Obviously, I need to get them the ball when those times come. But we’re putting those guys in different positions to be successful, of course. The cool part about the football game is you can throw those guys wherever and they can make a lot of those plays.
“It’s really never a quarterback saying, ‘Hey, one side or the other.’ That’s a man-coverage game even when you’re on the goal line and you got two fades on each side, but most of the time we got progressions and things we’re going through. It really just depends who’s in that spot and who can win in the route.”
Down but not out
The Jets avoided A.J. Brown and Julio Jones in their matchup last week with the Titans. On Thursday, the Falcons ruled out Calvin Ridley, their top wide receiver. That benefits the Jets and their defense, but they aren’t ready to take Atlanta lightly.
Among the reasons: Quarterback Matt Ryan and rookie tight end Kyle Pitts.
The No. 4 pick in April, Pitts generated quite the buzz as one of the most physically gifted players in the class. He has just 15 catches for 189 yards this season (he has never had more than five catches or 73 yards in any game), but his breakout is coming. The Jets want to ensure it doesn’t come against them.
“He’s pretty freaking good,” Saleh said.
The Jets have faced decent tight ends, but none were as physically gifted as Pitts. Unlike past years, they’ve handled them well. Dan Arnold, then of the Panthers, managed just two catches for 6 yards. The Patriots’ Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry combined for six catches and 70 yards. The Broncos’ Noah Fant had two catches for 15 yards. The Titans’ Anthony Firkser had three catches for 23 yards.
Reshuffling the offensive line
The Jets allowed just one sack (and one quarterback hit from that sack) in Sunday’s victory over the Titans. It was undeniably the best George Fant, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Connor McGovern, Greg Van Roten and Morgan Moses have looked collectively this season.
That’s going back through training camp, too. Saleh gave the five credit after the season-opening loss to the Panthers by saying they’ve played “pretty darn good.” Sacks were allowed in the games against the Patriots and Broncos, but a number of them were the result of Wilson holding the ball too long.
The Jets and Saleh spent a large portion of September talking about how the line needs time to jell before it starts to play to its potential. That looks like it’s starting to happen. If the five continue to keep Wilson upright and the Jets keep winning, will Saleh switch things up when Mekhi Becton, the Week 1 left tackle, recovers from knee surgery in the coming weeks?
The answer is yes.
“Mekhi is special,” Saleh said.
(Photo of John Franklin-Myers, right, and Jared Goff in December 2020: Harry How / Getty Images)
