The New York Jets currently sit at $125,340,044 in salary cap investments for 2021. These are the current players under contract for the coming year: Jamison Crowder ($11,500,000) Sam Darnold ($9,794,266) Henry Anderson ($9,533,334) George Fant ($9,400,000) Connor McGovern ($9,333,333) Quinnen Williams ($9,046,647) CJ Mosley ($7,500,000) Alex Lewis ($7,033,333) Mekhi Becton ($4,192,283) Greg Van Roten ($3,500,000) Ryan Griffin ($3,325,000) Denzel Mims ($1,234,931) Nathan Shepherd ($1,159,139) Ashtyn Davis ($1,117,588) Thomas Hennessy ($1,115,000) Christopher Herndon IV ($1,087,380) Jabari Zuniga ($1,074,178) Chuma Edoga ($1,066,750) Trevon Wesco ($1,026,643) Josh Doctson ($985,000) La’Mical Perine ($966,366) Folorunso Fatukasi ($963,564) James Morgan ($958,816) Cameron Clark ($952,748) Blake Cashman ($926,063) John Franklin-Myers ($920,000) Blessuan Austin ($890,743) Bryce Hall ($858,950) Kyle Phillips ($851,668) Braxton Berrios ($850,000) Ty Johnson ($850,000) Corey Ballentine ($850,000) Leo Koloamatangi ($850,000) Braden Mann ($824,275) Bryce Huff ($785,000) Javelin Guidry ($780,000) Lamar Jackson ($780,000) Sergio Castillo ($780,000) This totals $109,662,968 in active contracts, with the remaining $15,677,076 coming from Dead Money. The 2021 Salary Cap is estimated to be $175,000,000, and the Jets would currently roll over $29,013,114 into next year as well. This results in an estimated $78,773,070 in cap space. You could add a couple thousand the Jets get back from releasing Pierre Desir but I believe it's less than 250k, meaning you're looking at almost exactly $79 million in space. I want to look at the future quickly. A couple of interesting things to note. Based on the 90% minimum over 3 year rule, the Jets spent a lot in 2019 and although it looks like less in 2020, a substantial amount of dead money was present. This means to hit the minimum in 2021, The Jets only need to spend approximately $135,579,000 next year. Based on current cap commitments and the fact that Henry Anderson is a likely cap casualty, the Jets essentially have to spend at least $18.5 million in Free Agency and the Draft. This will be extremely easy, and indicates there is no urgency to spend big in that sense. However, if the Jets were to sit near the minimum this coming year, in 2022 their hand would be forced into shelling out a substantial amount in contracts to reach the minimum. It is not wise to do this all in one year, so some wise and well paced spending this coming year would be advisable in my opinion. Let’s take a quick look at who the Jets might be extending from their own roster in 2022: -Quinnen Williams: Will still have 2 years left if you include the 5th year option. An early extension could be beneficial, but certainly not necessary. And yes, that’s the whole list for 2022, which is pretty damn depressing. What that means is the Jets don’t really have to stress about future cap room for their own players. It also means my point about well paced spending is more relevant. Now back to 2021. To use some of this Cap Space, let’s look at who the Jets might wish to extend this offseason: -Marcus Maye: 0 Years remaining. -Folorunso Fatukasi: 1 Year remaining. -Breshad Perriman: 0 Years remaining. -Brian Poole: 0 Years remaining. -Jamison Crowder: 1 Year remaining. -John Franklin-Myers: 1 Year remaining. The only players that it makes sense to extend to me are Fatukasi and Franklin Myers. Both will likely be relatively inexpensive, and it allows you to spend a bit on the DL now while Q is still fairly inexpensive. I would look at using the franchise tag on Marcus Maye, but not necessarily extend him. It just allows you to avoid a search for a starting safety. You could extend him if you wanted to, but I’d rather upgrade over the next couple years. Those moves right here plus draft picks would get you to the 2021 minimum. It still leaves the Jets with money that should probably be spent this offseason. I have said before that I would go after Joe Thuney for $14.5 million a year. It would set the Guard market, improve the offensive line, and help use some of that cash in a place that seems wise to me. I foresee the Jets releasing Alex Lewis as a result of this move, so ultimately the net cap investment is not huge. There is still some money that the Jets should go ahead and use, so who else is out there? I’ve come around a little on Bud Dupree. Has my opinion on him as a player changed? No it has not, however with excess cap space and an understanding that even with a drafted player at Edge, there is still an overall talent deficiency at the position. Since there is money that should be spent, this seems like a position that should be addressed. Why Dupree? Well, he probably won’t get heaps more than other Edge players on the market, and I think he is the best all around Edge available. If you want maximum future flexibility, just try to get him to accept a roster bonus instead of a signing bonus. It also allows you to maintain the balance of one expensive player and one inexpensive player at the position. Aside from that, I’m not sure I would change much from the mock offseason I did. I wouldn’t go in on more than just 2 bigger players like Thuney and Dupree I think. I’m going to do a really deep dive on all of the potentially available receivers in another post over the next few days, meaning my opinion on that position could change. As it stands, I’m looking for a stopgap speed guy like Samuel or Perriman. In short, the Jets have $79 million plus (in all likelihood) the $8.2 million from Henry Anderson for a total of $87 million available. I would look to spend around 70% of that I think, and between Thuney, Dupree, Maye, a stopgap WR, draft picks, and mid level guys that will go pretty quickly.
Thanks for doing this! You laid it out very well... I agree with your take...I would definitely cut Anderson....he has way underperformed I do want an edge and a receiver as well as OL help
As usual, great work and interesting read. Thanks. I mostly agree with what you have laid out, but I disagree a little on who should be kept, how the money should be spent, and how much should be spent. Since Douglas is looking to build primarily through the draft, he should be spending less and less in FA in future years. Therefore, I'd spend 80-85% of the available cap space in 2021, as they aren't going to have a bunch of big money contracts in 2022. They won't be paying Darnold $25 million, and would only have Mosley's big contract. Let me say here that I'm no cap wiz and the numbers I'm throwing out for contracts may be too low or too high. I'm making educated guesses based on what they're making and what Spotrac says is market value. In addition to cutting Anderson, and Lewis, I would strongly consider cutting Greg Van Roten, Ryan Griffin, and as you stated in another post in another thread, trading Mosley, even if we have to eat some dead money. Cutting Lewis would save $5,366,667 in cap space. Cutting Van Roten would save $3.25 million. Cutting Griffin would save $1.875 million. Add that to the $79 million in cap space, and that would give the Jets $89,461,667 in cap space. If the Jets spend 80% of that, they'd have roughly $71,593,334 to play with. If they sign Thuney for the $14.5 million, that would leave them with $57,093,334. If they trade Mosley, they would take a dead money cap charge of $12.5 million. That would reduce their money to work with to $44,593,334. While I like the idea of not having to pay him a lot of money in 2022, the Jets would wind up having paid him a ton of money for 3/4 (or was it 1/2?) of football, and it would hamper Douglas' ability to further upgrade the team, so I wouldn't trade him. Allen Robinson is currently making $14 million per season. For argument's sake, let's say it will cost the Jets $16 million per season to sign him. That would leave them with $41,093,334 to work with (57,093,334 minus $16,000,000). Since they have more picks than normal, I'm guessing it would probably take around $12-$15 million to sign them. Even if it took $16 million, that would still leave them with roughly $25,093,334 million. With creative contracts, Douglas could have at least one if not both of these so that the cap hit would be smaller the first year since the cap will be lower, then have the larger cap hits in years 2-3 (or 4). That would give him even more money to work with. If Robinson refused to sign with the Jets or if they didn't want to pay that much for a 28 year-old player, then Chris Godwin or Kenny Golladay would be cheaper alternatives. I would extend Fatukasi and Franklin-Myers ($2.5 million per season each or would it cost more?), and would re-sign Poole ($6 million, give him a raise since he has been very good for the Jets for 2 straight years). If those figures are anywhere near accurate (they may not be) that would leave the Jets with around $13-$14 million in cap space. I would also want to extend Jamison Crowder. He has been very good for the Jets and letting him walk after one season would be akin to what the Jets did to Sanchez letting the WRs walk in 2010 or 2011. They could wait and see what happens in FA and the draft, and if they didn't draft a slot WR, they could always seek to negotiate an extension with Crowder during the 2021 season. I would also like to extend Maye, but not if it meant I couldn't extend Crowder. Question why franchise tag Maye? What would that cap hit be? Wouldn't it be cheaper to sign him to a 2- or 3-year deal where the Jets cut cut him and have a minimal cap hit? Why franchise him and overpay? He has been a solid player for the Jets. He has done what was asked of him and done his best. If they are able to replace him with Davis or someone else, fine. They could always cut him after the 2021 season, as they'd do if they franchised him. I like Perriman, but he just can't stay healthy. Samuel could still be fairly cheap. He has a lot of receptions (44) already, but am not sure he's an impact-type player that would help that much. I'd have no problems if Douglas kept Perriman or signed Samuel, unless he could have signed Robinson, Godwin or Golladay and chose not to. I'm not saying that Douglas should do it, but another option at WR would be to trade Crowder ($10.5 million cap savings) and then sign Ju-Ju Smith Schuster or Samuel. Smith-Schuster is 23 and Samuel is 24, so both are younger and faster than Crowder. They could sign Bud Dupree (which I think would be a good signing), and would definitely fill a need, but I think re-signing a few of our own, and adding a prime OL, prime WR, and upgrading OL depth are more important, especially since it may be the 3rd or 4th round before we have an opportunity to draft another WR, I think we need a proven WR for Lawrence/Fields other than Crowder, and we need to make sure that our OL can protect Lawrence/Fields from day one. I believe in Mims, but he is still a relative unknown in the NFL. My only hesitation with this, is that it would mean that in terms of the OL, Cameron Clark would have to be penciled in as the other starting OG, and would leave us with no depth. That would probably mean that Douglas would have to draft at least one OG fairly high or sign another FA OG as a starter and depth, unless one of the PS OL is ready to step up. To accommodate that, if need be, I'd increase the amount of the available cap space I used to 85%. Another option would be if Douglas believes that one of the Jets' young CBs could take on the slot CB role, then they could let Poole walk in FA. It is also possible that the Jets could draft a slot WR who could replace Crowder in 2022. In addition, Chuma Edoga ($633,250), Josh Doctson ($985k), and even Nathan Shepherd ($934k) could be cut if absolutely necessary. Edoga is awful. Doctson probably wouldn't even make the team if Douglas signs a FA WR and drafts one. Shepherd is good at times and meh at others. He would be no big loss.
Thanks for this amazing post man. I'm going to add Conor McDermott to the extend list. The guy has obviously trained his ass off over the last year and is a great value as back-up tackle on either side. I would grab him now since he must be on other team's radar at this point. Langi rose up as soon as Avery left--if he matches his last performance in upcoming games he needs to be locked-up. These 2 signings are part of the foundation of great players a 53-man roster needs. Not so sexy but hard-working. Put an all-pro next to these guys and all of a sudden, they look like all-stars too. And this types have a knack for making a big play maybe once a season that can win a game. Teams like Pittsburgh and New England are stacked with guys like this. Look at Pittsburg #41 Spillane who took over at ILB when their starter went out. A decent hard-working player looks terrific when surrounded by talent.
Good work on this post. Thank you for the effort! I would be interested in extending franklin myers (3 years) fatukasi (4 years), obviously with 2 year outs in them. This also shows players that we will extend our own too. This should help provide a base for the D line, along with Q. We can look to bring in other positions with all our picks/FA money. Sent from my SM-G610Y using Tapatalk
Excellent post! It hurts me to my core to see that Anderson cap hit. He’s gotta be off the books ASAP. Only place I think we disagree would be on the Crowder front. I think he worth a short-term extension. He’s been by far our best offensive player over the last few years and whoever our QB ends up being in 2021 and beyond would love to have a guy like him working over the middle. Could you all imagine a WR corp of ARob/Godwin/Golladay, Mims, and Crowder? Especially if we take another WR during the draft, that unit could go from one of the worst to a very solid unit over 1 offseason.
Crowder's a good player. We should definitely keep him as he is a chains mover that every team needs. I'd be good with a 2 year extension until his age 30/31 year.
Thanks Max! Great job, as always! This is one of the main reasons I joined TGG: to learn more about the details and behind the scenes stuff that are part of every team and impact how they perform. I join with everyone else in echoing my appreciation for your time and effort! At this point it's till too early to know where the Jets will be picking, and that will have a huge bearing on what they need to do with FA. But for now, I'll assume they're going to get the #1 or #2 pick, and with that take a QB. That said, I wouldn't be shocked if Douglas sticks with Darnold and trades back for more picks. His experience under Newsome might've taught him that building a deep foundation is more important than landing a highly rated - and expensive - QB. It's not a philosophy I share, but it's one the Ravens seem to have followed. OTOH, Douglas was also part of the Eagles organization when they went big for Wentz. So I'll admit IDK what JD is thinking - whichever path he chooses won't surprise me. But let's assume for now he's planning on grabbing Lawrence or Fields, I would hope then that he signs a stud pass rusher in FA because I doubt he'll be able to fill that longstanding hole in the draft. Zavon Collins might be a possibility, but I doubt he'll last past their 2nd first rounder, and maybe not even that long, and I'd prefer to use that on the "O" anyway. I agree with trying to sign Thuney, and maybe even another OL if a truly good one is available. And I want him to sign at least one stud WR. Of he can get these guys in FA it creates a lot more flexibility in the draft, and allows him to "spread the love" more between "O" and "D" then. Given the amount of cap space he'll have, I see this "shopping list" as easily fillable.
