New York Jets and Denver Broncos make a trade

The New York Jets and Denver Broncos made a trade the could benefit both teams Saturday. The retirement of D’Brickashaw Ferguson left a huge hole at left tackle for the New York Jets. Wanting to stay competitive, the team had to do something  to address the void left at the position.

Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos need salary-cap space to trade for quarterback Colin Kaepernick. So the Jets will send a 5th-round pick to the Broncos for a 7th-rounder and left tackle Ryan Clady. To help the cap-strapped Jets, Clady adjusted his $9.5 million contract, unlike Kaepernick, who wouldn’t do such thing for the Broncos.

This is an interesting move because it could work out as an upgrade at left tackle for the Jets . Ferguson was a solid over his career and didn’t miss a snap to injury in 10 years but he started to decline in 2015.  Clady is solid himself when healthy but he has missed 30 games over the past three seasons, including all of 2015.

Clady is 29 so it is possible for him to return to the left he was playing at before suffering a season-ending Lisfranc injury early in 2013. That’s the Clady that would be an upgrade over the 2015 version of Ferguson.  And if it works out that way, this will go down as a great trade for both teams.

The Jets get a solid left tackle so they can focus on getting and edge-rusher in the draft and the Broncos unload a big contract to have room to trade for Kaepernick.