The Background
Bailey was raised in Orange County, CA with three siblings and two immigrant parents. His father, Anthony, is from Jamaica and his mother, Monica, is from Ghana. Bailey, whose older brother, DJ, played defensive end at Harvard, went to football powerhouse Mater Dei High School that has produced NFL talent like Heisman Trophy winners QB Matt Leinart (USC) and QB Bryce Young (Alabama), and current Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Bailey was the 2021 Orange County Defensive Player of the Year with 15.5 sacks, 20.5 tackles for loss and 3 forced fumbles as Mater Dei went 12-0 and took home a state championship.
The four-star recruit received multiple offers and chose Stanford, where he graduated with a degree in science, technology and society in under four years, over USC. He enrolled in graduate school at Texas Tech when he transferred.
The Fit
The Jets added a pair of edge rushers in free agency in Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare to a room headlined by Will McDonald IV, who enters his fourth NFL season. McDonald is the most productive pass rusher of the group with 18.5 sacks over his last two seasons.
While it is unclear how head coach Aaron Glenn will deploy his defensive linemen after taking over playcalling, teams can never have enough pass rushers and Bailey would provide an elite talent off the edge at a premium position.