The salary cap may be a myth to some folks, but the reality is that teams still have to comply with the numbers and the Jets will have some moves to make with the salary cap.
The cap was recently officially set at a record $224.8 million per team for 2023. That’s $16.6 million more than it was in 2022 at $208.2 million.
For the Jets, taking into account their unused 2022 cap space rollover of about $3.2 million plus dead cap of $3.8 million and about $4 million in cap space for their upcoming rookie class, the Jets are currently about $3 million over the cap, per Spotrac.
The Jets will have to do some cap gymnastics before the new league year begins next month. They do have a couple of options in terms of potential cap casualties to get under the salary cap. Let’s run through some of these potential cuts.
WR Corey Davis
With Garrett Wilson turning into a certified “G” and a bonafide stud and Elijah Moore and Denzel Mims seeing their roles increased, there’s no need for the Jets to carry Davis at his salary of $10.5 million, which is not guaranteed and how much cap space the Jets can save. Davis missed three games last season with a knee injury and one game with a concussion. His 32 catches ranked 5th on the team and scored his only two touchdowns in the first four games of the season.
WR Braxton Berrios
Berrios was a fine punt returner for the Jets this past season but became not much more than a gadget player on offense. For how little he was used this season, there’s no way the Jets could justify paying him a salary of $5.5 million and carrying a cap hit of about $8.2 million. New York can save $5 million in cap space and leave $3.232 million in dead money by moving on from Berrios. The Jets can get similar value from a late-round draft pick for much cheaper.
DE Carl Lawson
Lawson is a true toss-up. The Jets can save $15.4 million in cap space by releasing Lawson. The flip side is Lawson was second on the team last season with seven sacks and did so after not truly having a full offseason as he was recovering from an Achilles injury suffered during the 2021 preseason. He’s also still somewhat young. He turns 28 in June. The Jets like Lawwson, so this will be a very tough decision. It’s also possible the Jets restructure or extend his contract to lower his cap hit and keep him around for 2023.
LB C.J. Mosley
Like Lawson, Mosley is also more of a possible restructure candidate, after they redid his deal earlier in the season. As a result, Mosley has a cap hit of almost $21.5 million and is due a salary of $17 million. If the Jets decide to move on from Mosley this offseason, they would save $6.5 million in cap space and leave $14.9 million in dead money. They can also convert his salary, like they did in 2022, to lower his cap hit this year and spread out the money with the help of the two void years the team added to the contract last year.
OT Duane Brown
The Jets were fortunate that Duane Brown, with his lingering shoulder issues last season, played 12 games at left tackle. But at 38 years old, and with Mekhi Becton coming back, there’s no way the Jets can pay Brown a $9 million salary. The Jets can save almost $5 million if they cut Brown.
DE John Franklin-Myers
Franklin-Myers did have five sacks last season, but the Jets have other young pass-rushers that should see more time next season such as Jermaine Johnson and Bryce Huff. Jets fans also believe JFM’s roughing the passer against the Patriots that negated a pick-six was the true turning point of the season. Franklin-Myers is scheduled to make $11.4 million in salary plus $600,000 in offseason bonuses. $6 million of his $12 million in total compensation becomes guaranteed on March 21. Even after that date, the Jets can still save $5.2 million in cap space.
