Veteran free-agent offensive lineman John Simpson signed with the New York Jets on Monday on a two-year deal worth up to $18 million, according to his agent, Kyle Strongin. Simpson started all 19 games (including playoffs) at left guard for the Baltimore Ravens last year after spending the first four years of his career with the Las Vegas Raiders. He was drafted by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 2020 draft out of Clemson. The 26-year-old has started 38 of the 52 games that he's played in in his four years in the NFL. In 1,118 offensive snaps for Baltimore in 2023, Simpson gave up just one sack, although he did also have 11 penalties, which was the second-most among guards in the league. Simpson will likely be the Jets' starting left guard in 2024 after Laken Tomlinson was released. It's some offensive-line help for veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
With the 109th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders have traded up for Clemson offensive guard John Simpson. The Raiders needed help on the interior of the offensive line, and Simpson has the talent to be a starter early on. Hes not an elite prospect, but he should add some needed blocking in Vegas and has the potential to slide to center as well if the team needs him to. Simpson will need to work on his pass protection, so dont expect this to pay huge dividends out of the gate for quarterback Derek Carr.
