A busy day for the New York Jets wasn’t limited to the front office. And the drama spilled over to social media.
Hours after the team fired general manager Mike Maccagnan and named head coach Adam Gase his temporary replacement on Wednesday, Gase traded linebacker Darron Lee to the Kansas City Chiefs, multiple outlets reported.
According to the reports, New York received a 2020 sixth-round pick in return.
Maccagnan selected Lee in the first round (20th overall) in 2016. The former Ohio State star struggled in his first two seasons, but had three interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and 74 tackles in 12 games (all starts) in 2018. However, his season was cut short when he received a four-game ban for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.
The Jets declined his fifth-year option and signed free agent linebacker C.J. Mosley to a five-year, $85 million contract in the offseason, all but assuring Lee’s days in New York were numbered.
When the man who drafted him was no longer in power, his number was up.
But in the hours between Maccagnan’s firing and Lee’s exit, Lee tweeted “Good Afternoon everybody!” with a rosy cheek emoji, believed to be an indication of his happiness at Maccagnan’s departure.
The 24-year-old soon deleted the tweet, though screen grabs were caught before it was gone.
The Jets hired Gase in January, shortly after Miami fired the 41-year-old after three seasons and a 23-25 record.
