The New York Jets were just delivered a good news curveball during NFL Combine week.

Connor Hughes of SNY told Jake Asman that defensive lineman Bryce Huff might not command as much money in free agency as many people originally thought.

“So I heard from somebody actually who is pretty good with these things, like really really good with these things. [He] estimated that he’d get around $12 to $14 million [per year] on the open market,” Hughes revealed on “The Jake Asman Show” at the NFL Combine.

“In fact when he told me that I said no [I meant] Bryce Huff. Like I thought Bryce was going to be seeing like $20 [million per year],” Hughes admitted.

WOAH! @Connor_J_Hughes just told @JakeAsman that he has heard a much lower figure from a source on a potential contract for #Jets DL Bryce Huff:

‘Estimated he’d get around $12M to $14M [per year] on the open market’ 😳👀

‘I thought Bryce was going to be seeing like $20M… pic.twitter.com/EdVf4tA7HD

— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) February 27, 2024

Jets Have Renewed Hope in Huff Contract Negotiations
The $12 million to $14 million price range is a far cry from what we’ve heard projected over the last couple of months.

Back in October, former NFL general manager Randy Mueller told Asman that he believed a team would pay Huff between $22 million and $23 million per year on a deal in free agency.

Woah mama: former #NFL GM @RandyMueller_ told @JakeAsman that he believes someone might pay #Jets EDGE Bryce Huff (@Bryce55H) ‘$22M or $23M per year’ 😳 Randy loves what he can do as a pass rusher & against the run + said he’s going to be a ‘highly sought after player’ in 2024 &… pic.twitter.com/yWQp9VJCrC

— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) October 21, 2023

“If he really is just a $12 million to $14 million a year guy, the Jets can find a way to put that under the cap,” Hughes added.

That annual salary would place Huff in the No. 15 to No. 18 range among the highest-paid pass rushers in the NFL, per Over The Cap. That is much more reasonable than the Mueller figures which would have elevated Huff into the top-10 among the highest paid edge defenders.

Hughes admitted that those figures are the “lowest” he has heard from league sources on Huff’s market. “That’s it,” Hughes responded to his source. “Like that’s nothing. The one estimate he [the source] gave me was I think he’s going to go three [years] for $42 million [total value]. That’s what he thought [Huff] was going to do. I think the Jets can do that.”

However, if those estimates aren’t correct and it’s more so in the “$18 to $20 million range annually” Hughes believes he will play elsewhere in 2024.

Hughes said Huff wants to go to the highest bidder this offseason and whoever that is will be where he goes.

Huff Concerns From Other Teams and an Interesting Theory
Hughes said that there are “concerns” with Huff’s ability to play the run and his lack of size.

Huff is listed on the Jets roster at 6-foot-3 and weighed in at 255 pounds. Rich Cimini of ESPN admitted that there is a “perception” that Huff struggles against the run.

Although he revealed that Huff has “improved” in that area.

“[Huff raised] his run-stop rate to 5.2%, just a fraction below the league average (5.4%) for edge players,” according to Cimini.

Asman floated another theory on his show to Hughes on why Huff’s market might not end up being what some thought.

He pointed to the success of the Jets’ defense overall, playing with other talented players, and whether or not Huff could be a system guy.

Huff has some impressive numbers analytically with pressure rate and quarterback hits that rival some of the best pass rushers in the game. Is that because he plays far fewer snaps than those guys? If he played the same amount would he be as effective?

That is a question teams will have to ponder leading up to free agency.