Next year is tough but we're not broke. We just don't have enough money to fill all the holes we'll have. Currently we have 69 million in 2025, and will likely get another 15 million by releasing Lazard and JFM. That's 74 million, which sounds like a lot, but isn't compared to our needs. Also, we aren't done borrowing money from next year yet. But we'll be spending in FA a lot. The biggest decision next year will be Rodgers. He hits our cap for 51 million, and even releasing him would only save 2 million. Keeping him would cost another 35 million in 2026. Either he becomes the great player we wanted, or we will need to try and trade him.
He perhaps would be a sizable upgrade over them in terms of playmaking and running, but not in blocking, and even if one totally disregards the blocking aspect, it wouldn't be as big an upgrade as Fashanu over Carter Warren or Nabers/Odunze Thomas over Lazard. At least Conklin is a quality starter. Carter Warren is not, and in the case of WR, the Jets are looking for a #2 WR, not a #1, so OT should clearly be the #1 priority, and it's not even close. Then there's the huge question mark about Hackett's being willing to overhaul/change his scheme and his ability to do so, and Rodgers changing his attitude about throwing over the middle of the field. The odds of all that changing are slim and none imo.
Are you accounting for the $13 million in dead money from releasing both Lazard and JFM? Also, since Reddick is likely to walk in FA, releasing JFM would significantly further weaken the Edge position, and I don't think the Jets would do that. No one is going to trade for Rodgers, and only saving $2 million on the cap would not pay for the next starting QB. It wouldn't even pay for a quality backup. Like it or not, the Jets are gonna be stuck with Rodgers or at least his cap hit in 2025. Also, I don't see where you get that $69 million space figure. Spotrac shows the Jets cap space for next season at only $19, 234, 289. https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/new-york-jets/cap/2025/ They show the adjusted cap as being $273,300,000 and the Jets' cap as being $254,065,711.
Idk if I would totally agree on the blocking front. Conklin and Ruckert seem to both be solid in that regard but PFF gave them a 54.0 and a 55.0 grade, respectively, in terms of run blocking last year, which was 84th and t-74th amongst all TEs. Obviously, PFF isn't the end all be all, and I think they're a little bit better than the 74th and 84th best blocking TEs in the NFL but they're not George Kittle either. Bowers is a little undersized and isn't the best run blocker anyway so they probably are better than him in terms of blocking but I'm not sure there's a huge gap. Definitely not enough to offset what Bowers would bring in the passing game anyway. I agree with everything else you said though. OT/WR should be priority 1a/1b in the 1st round, and if it's even close to being a tie on their big board between Fautanu, Fashanu, Fuaga, Odunze, or any other OT/WR prospect in that range and Bowers, they should draft the OT/WR.
Are we going to pay JFM 17.5 million in 2025, or save 11 million and take a 6.5 million dead cap? I'd say we release him. My point was that we're stuck with Rodgers if we cant move him. The bigger question is when do we move on from him. We'd only save 2 million next year but it would save 35 million for 2026. It will come down to how he performs this season. Sporttrace is a bad sight to use for overall cap. A good tip for cap folks is use sportrace for individual contracts, as they are usually more detailed and accurate on individual contracts. Use Over the Cap for team salary cap, as they devote their time to tracking the overall cap more than individual contracts. https://overthecap.com/salary-cap/new-york-jets
Nice quote from Reddick at his introductory presser today. "Haason Reddick thinks he can help Will McDonald a lot. Said he spoke to Jeff Ulbrich about him today. "There's a lot of knowledge I have to give. And that's what I'm here to do." #Jets" Obviously, we traded for him to be an elite pass rusher this year but if we can also get him to be somewhat of a mentor to both WMD and JJ, that's just icing on the cake.
The Jets may release him due to the cap savings, but they may try to extend or add void years to reduce his cap hit. If they do cut/release him, then that will mean that they need to add 2 Edges between FA and the draft. With their cap shape, I can't see their adding one in FA anywhere near as good as JFM for anything cheaper. I don't understand how Spotrac can be so good for contract details, but not for the cap. For some dumb reason, I cannot access overthecap. I used to be able to years ago, but have tried numerous times over the last 2-3 years, and it never works. Edit: Initially all I see is the header. In the past, when I clicked on things they never came up for the Jets. Just now after trying several times, I was finally able to get to the cap page, but it wasn't clearly listed on how to get there. It's more complex, and it says "LOGIN OR SUBSCRIBE TO OTC PREMIUM" so I thought it had become a pay site.
I don't have the data that Douglas has on these guys (nor does anyone here unless they work in the Jets personnel dept.), but based on what I know about these players and the Jets needs, if one of those tackles in there at #10, they should be the pick. If whoever out of that group is there, but Douglas has decided they're not the best fit for the team, I hope he trades back and then looks to take a Tackle with his later pick in the first round. Only if none of the Tackles available are valued highly enough by Douglas (which I'd find hard to believe), and he can't find a trade back partner would I then consider taking the best WR that fits our offense. As to Bowers, first I'm not sure he's as good as the hype says he is, but even if he is, as others have said (as well as myself), it's more about that he doesn't provide enough of an upgrade to warrant using a 1st round pick on him as compared to a Tackle or even a stud WR. And there's the fact the best TE's in recent history were not 1st round picks. Finally, he wouldn't be utilized to his potential with Hackett. I have nothing against Bowers, nor am I trying to argue that he might make sense as a 1st rounder for some team, but that team isn't the Jets.
Why in the world would they release JFM? They would save 4 mill in cap but eat 12 mill in dead money? Makes absolutely no sense to release him.
ouchy was talking about next offseason, not now. Next offseason, he's due just under $17.5 million and if they cut him, they'd save just under $11 million on the cap, but take a $6.5 dead million cap hit. I'm not convinced that they will release him, but can see where it would be a possibility, because the Jets are going to have a ton of FAs next offseason, and a lot of them they won't have money to re-sign or replace unless the cap goes up astronomically.
Ahh, sorry for not reading back further. If McD turns the corner and we extand Reddick then I dont see why we need JFM but time will tell.
JFM has settled in as consistent role player the way Bryan Thomas did back in the day. He just does it at a starter's salary. I think he'll be around another year. Bob needs his security blankets, even if they average 4 RTP calls a season.
Im not advocating for Bowers but i don’t get that the argument that he doesn’t provide enough of an upgrade. The Bowers arguments isn’t that Conklin or Ruckert stink. It’s that he’s a highly dynamic player that the other team will have to account for, i.e., not some outlet. He has the potential to create huge mismatches. Can’t say that for our other TEs. So again fine to be against him but let’s be fair about the pro-Bowers argument And while I’m an advocate for positional value the Pats, Chiefs and 49ers have demonstrated that TE could have huge positional value (not a guarantee but seriously changes game plans_ I’m all in on BPA and agree with the posters that none of us have the intel the FO (or any FO)does. Two years ago JD nailed it drafting what should be 4 pro bowlers (with Breece weirdly being the current odd man out). That’s not random lucky, blind squirrel finding a nut. He needs a repeat and let’s root that he does
With Conklin, Bowers can effectively be your third receiver in 3x1 formations for big portions of the game. And you can get the benefit of running with two tightends on the field when he’s in there. The Lions had a lot of success splitting LaPorta out in those scenarios and forcing a team to put a defensive back on him. He’s truly the definition of a matchup nightmare.
This all makes sense. And even if he’s subpar blocking TE he’s probably top of the list blocking slot receiver
I've been banging the Bowers gong for weeks now. The mistake everyone makes is labeling him a TE and trying to compare him to Conklin and Ruckert. How many tight ends have you seen run a reverse? None, yet Bowers does. Pull down jump balls down the sideline? Take the majority of snaps in the slot or split wide rather than TE? Score out of the backfield? Those guys simply don't exist. He's a tightend only because Georgia had to label him. He's a weapon that you can move all over the field and defenses have to adjust for. He would open up so many opportunities for Garrett and Breece it's mind-boggling and Conklin would still get his snaps, same as always.
No problem. As for why we would need JFM, I doubt that Reddick will be extended. He's looking to get paid. That's why the Eagles traded him. Without Reddick, that would leave JJ and JFM as starters and McDonald and Clemons as backups. You know as well as I that won't be enough for Saleh. He wants waves of Edges to send at opponents, which means 6 Edges. Without JFM and Reddick that would leave only 3 Edges.
By itself, it would be enough of an upgrade, but the draft doesn't occur in a vaccuum. Bowers would be far less of an upgrade at TE than Fashanu would be over Carter Warren at LT and far less of an upgrade of one of Nabers/Odunze/Thomas over Lazard.
Yes, he can be a weapon on perhaps most NFL teams, but on the Jets? Between Hackett's cluelessness and Rodgers not wanting to throw to the middle of the field, he would be much less of a weapon, and if Smith goes down for any length of time, then Rodgers would probably go down in short order with Carter Warren as the backup, so he would not wind up being a weapon at all this season or until the Jets drafted an LT.
