Nose tackle Sione Pouha will be a priority for the Jets this offseason, but he probably won’t be franchise tagged.
Jenny Vrentas of the Newark Star-Ledger reports that Pouha is “not expected” to get the tag. The Jets are aiming for a long-term deal.
The Jets don’t have a lot of cap space, so a multi-year deal for the 33-year-old makes a lot more sense. Because of his age, Pouha may be willing to take a relatively affordable deal before free agency starts.
Still, the big man has a ton of leverage. He’s one of the keys to Rex Ryan’s defense and run stuffers like him don’t become available often. We still wonder if the Jets would risk losing Pouha on the open market, but perhaps they are confident they can get a long-term deal done before free agency starts March 13.
