When the Panthers traded former first-round draft pick Jeff Otah to the Jets for a seventh-round pick, both sides agreed that the deal would only be finalized if Otah could pass a physical within a week. Now that week has passed, and Otah hasn’t passed, and so the trade is off.
Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports that the Jets won’t be keeping Otah, an offensive tackle who has played only four games in the last two seasons because of knee injuries.
The Jets had hoped that Otah would be capable of competing with Wayne Hunter for the starting job at right tackle, but with Otah now gone from New York, Hunter will remain the starter on the right side.
For now, the Panthers have the rights to Otah, but if he can’t pass a physical, it’s not clear what kind of future he has. At just 26 years old, a player who once looked like he had a promising NFL future may be done.