Jets Sign 1st-Round Pick Coples, 7th-Rounder Allen To 4-Year Deals
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (WFAN/AP) -- The Jets have signed first-round draft pick Quinton Coples to a four-year contract.
The big defensive end from North Carolina is expected to be a starter as a rookie on Rex Ryan's defensive line after a standout career with the Tar Heels. The deal, signed Thursday, includes a standard team option for a fifth year.
Financial terms were not immediately available. The deal is "expected to be worth around $9 million," the New York Post reported.
The 6-foot-6, 285-pound Coples was the 16th overall pick last month after finishing tied for third in Tar Heels history with 24 sacks, including 17 1/2 his last two years.
Ryan declared Coples a starter after the draft, likely replacing veteran Mike DeVito, who took a pay cut while restructuring the final year of contract. Coples is expected to play end and move inside on passing downs.
Also on Thursday, the Jets signed safety Antonio Allen, one of their seventh-round draft picks, to a four-year contract.
Allen is a big-hitting safety who also played linebacker at South Carolina, and was particularly effective in zone coverage and inside as a run stuffer. He had a team-leading 88 tackles, three interceptions and a sack in his senior season with the Gamecocks.
Allen is expected to compete for a backup spot at safety behind projected starters LaRon Landry and Eric Smith.
The Jets have now signed six of their eight draft picks. Only linebacker Demario Davis, a third-rounder, and wide receiver Jordan White, a seventh-rounder, are still unsigned.
Is Coples too green to expect big things in 2012? Sound off below...
(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
