John Franklin-Myers Breaks Silence After Jets-Broncos Trade

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Former New York Jets defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers trying to make a play during an NFL game.

The New York Jets’ relationship with defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers abruptly ended on Saturday, April 28.

Despite that, JFM showed nothing but love on social media in his first comments since the trade that sent him to the Denver Broncos.

“Ima keep giving them hell, they told me it’s better to give than it is to receive. All love to the Jets and y’all fans for making these 5 years unforgettable. I look forward to the future, but will not forget about the past. 91.0 JFM Radio Over and Out. All Love,” Franklin-Myers wrote on X previously Twitter.

Adam Schefter of ESPN revealed that the Jets shipped off JFM to Denver in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round draft choice.

Joe Douglas Gets Brutally Honest About JFM Jets-Broncos Trade

There was a lot of buzz on social media after the Jets acquired veteran pass rusher Haason Reddick from the Philadelphia Eagles.

While the terms of the trade only seemed to include a conditional 2026 third-rounder, it proved to be even costlier.

“Yeah, that was a difficult one because when we made the trade for Haason, we knew it was going to be next to impossible to keep JFM at his salary. I talked to JFM, I talked to [his representation], they were great. We opened it up to let them explore a trade elsewhere, so that was a few weeks ago obviously after we traded for Haason,” general manager Joe Douglas revealed.

Reddick is entering the last year of his $45 million contract. He is set to count $15 million against the cap in 2024 and he plays the same position as Franklin-Myers.

Douglas admitted that they broached the subject of JFM possibly taking a pay cut to stay instead of trading him.

“There was a discussion but it got to the point where the gap was too far for us to bridge. So Denver was obviously able to do that,” Douglas continued.

Franklin-Myers had two years left on his $55 million contract. He was set to count over $33 million against the cap through 2025.

However, as part of his trade to the Broncos, they agreed to a brand new two-year deal. Jeff Legwold of ESPN said it’s a two-year deal for $15 million with $10 million of that fully guaranteed.

JFM took a massive pay cut as part of this deal to facilitate the trade.

The Jets Have a Tough Task of Replacing JFM

Head coach Robert Saleh admitted publically that “it’s going to be tough” to replace Franklin-Myers.

Statistically speaking, JFM was a solid floor player. He averaged 4.4 sacks per season in his four years with the team and was incredibly solid against the run.

“Franklin-Myers shines in that area, as his 28% run stop win rate over the past three seasons ranks ninth among qualifying edge rushers over that span,” Seth Walder of ESPN revealed.

The Jets don’t have to worry about replacing the player on the field. They acquired Reddick who has 50.5 sacks over the last four years which is No. 4 best in the entire league at his position.

The tough replacement task is in the leadership and locker room department.

“Obviously JFM with his leadership and all that stuff will be sorely missed,” Saleh said. “He’s an unbelievable leader, an unbelievable human, [and] an unbelievable player. Just to echo what Joe said, Denver got a hell of a player.”

Paul A. Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he is also the official PA voice of the Syracuse Strong Football Club and co-hosts Cumulus Media’s morning show, “The Manchild Show with Boy Green.” Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY and The Score 1260. More about Paul A. Esden Jr.