Magic Mike: Memorable Offseason Moves of 1st-Year Jets GM

"We definitely have a lot of cap space… Our goal is to ideally fill some of our needs in free agency which will allow us to be a little bit more flexible in the draft in terms of looking for the best player available in the draft and building through the draft," Maccagnan said. "But we'll be very active in free agency."

David Harris would have been a hot commodity on the open market, but Maccagnan avoided a bidding war with an aggressive move before free agency commenced. "I could not be happier to announce that I have signed a contract extension with the New York Jets," Harris said. "After hearing the plans and vision of Coach Bowles and Mike Maccagnan, there was no doubt I wanted to return, help win a Super Bowl with the Green & White and retire a Jet."

In a bold stroke, Maccagnan went the trade route to acquire Brandon Marshall and a seventh-round pick from the Bears in exchange for the Jets' fifth-rounder. The 6'4", 230-pound Marshall, who has 773 receptions and 65 touchdowns, needs just 229 yards to reach 10,000 for his career. "It happened kind of quickly, but we felt, really from a value/return standpoint, we thought that gave us the best option to add a player of Brandon's caliber to our organization," Maccagnan said. "I think it was, in my mind at least, kind of an easy decision to make when we went through the process."

The Jets added competition and experience to the quarterback position as Maccagnan obtained Ryan Fitzpatrick from the Texans in exchange for a conditional late-round pick in 2016. "I was only with him for one year down in Houston, but I was really impressed his work ethic. His approach, his personality, definitely from a leadership standpoint was a positive down there," Maccagan said. "I thought he played well for us prior to getting injured. He does have history with Chan (Gailey), so that was definitely a positive in terms of Chan knowing the player."

Maccagnan fortified the offensive line, signing young G James Carpenter to a four-year deal. The 6'5", 321-pound Carpenter, a first-round pick of the 'Hawks in the 2011 draft, made 44 starts with the Seahawks over the past four years. Carpenter, a mauler who is just 26, moves from a team that finished first in the NFL in rushing to a team that ranked third overall on the ground.

Just hours before the start of free agency, the Jets and RB Bilal Powell reached agreement in principle on a new deal. The 5'10", 204-pound Powell, who averaged 4.3 yards a carry last season, possesses quality hands out of the backfield and he is considered one of the top blocking backs in the league. "We do like him quite a bit," Maccagnan said of Powell. "I know last year he may have gotten a little less exposure in terms of reps and opportunity than he had maybe a year prior. But we liked him as a good back."

The Jets drafted Darrelle Revis in 2007 and Maccagnan brought the NFL's top corner back this spring. "I was around Champ Bailey when we drafted him back in Washington years ago and Champ was able to play at a very high level well into his 30s and I kind of view Darrelle in the same status, really," Maccagnan said. "I think he's playing at a very high level and we thought he could potentially be able to play at that really high level for a number of years going forward, so we thought it was worth the financial investment we made."

Head coach Todd Bowles said the Jets wanted to get better at the "corner issues" and Maccagnan turned a question mark into a strength in just a few days. Buster Skrine, a 5'9", 182-pound speedster who can play both outside and inside, was one of the NFL's top three defenders in PDs the past two seasons. "I know the coaches have high expectations not just to come in here and be rebuilding but to actually make a statement this year," Skrine said. "So I'm just glad I get to come in here and be a part of this movement."

The remodeling at cornerback was complete when Antonio Cromartie rejoined the Jets. "The cornerback position in free agency this year I thought had some depth to it and had some talent in it and it just was the way it kind of worked out. We kind of made our plan based on what the market had in terms of talent," Maccagnan said. "So, that's kind of where we sort of allocated our money. It wasn't that we were just going to go in if maybe the value wasn't there just to spend money blindly at that position."

A former cornerback, Marcus Gilchrist lined up the past two seasons at safety for the Chargers. The 5'10", 198-pounder, who has five career interceptions and 16 passes defended, is expected to pair up with Calvin Pryor this fall for the Jets.

With his first draft pick as GM of the New York Jets, Maccagnan didn't think USC DL Leonard Williams would be there at No. 6 overall. The 6'5", 304-pound Williams averaged seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss in three seasons with the Trojans.  "At the end of the day, Leonard was the best player on our board — we were kind of surprised he fell to us," Maccagnan said. "He was just too good of a value to pass up at that time."

As a senior, Devin Smith averaged 28.2 yards per reception for the National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes. The 6'0", 196-pound Smith averaged a touchdown every 4.0 receptions in his four-year career. "What stood out on tape is that Devin has the vertical skills to stretch the field," Maccagnan said. "We felt his hands were good, and at the Senior Bowl we thought he had all the skills, quickness out of his breaks, ability to track the ball."

While Williams, Smith and third-round edge rusher Lorenzo Mauldin could make significant impacts in their rookie campaigns, Bryce Petty will not be rushed into action. Maccagnan ensured the selection of the Baylor product, moving up one spot in Round 4 to add a big-time talent to the mix. "He has very good physical attributes for the position," Maccagnan said. "He has size, he has stature, he's an athletic kid. He has very good arm strength and can physically make all the throws you want him to make. From an intangible standpoint when we researched him down there, he's an intelligent kid, he's a hard worker, he's a good kid off the field so he has all the parts and pieces we think would potentially be a good quarterback in the NFL."