The sun rises on the New York Jets once again.
After suffering through two seasons of Adam Gase as their head coach, the Big Apple landed the hire of their dreams in the form of former San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. General manager Joe Douglas, now entering his second full offseason with the Jets (as he was hired after free agency and the 2019 NFL Draft), will also look to make his mark on the roster.
They sit with the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and it looks as though a new quarterback will be their target. On top of landing one of Justin Fields, Trey Lance, or Zach Wilson, the Jets also have the 23rd overall pick in the draft after trading Jamal Adams to the Seattle Seahawks.
At the end of the day, the Jets could still be in the market for the disgruntled quarterback of the Houston Texans, Deshaun Watson.
Looking at cap situation for Jets
The Jets currently sit among the most in the league with nearly $68 million in cap space, so do they need to make cap cuts? No they do not. However, still carrying over a handful of players signed under Mike Maccagnan, Joe Douglas may finally look to make his stamp as the general manager for the gang green.
As Mike LeFleur looks to bring Kyle Shanahan’s wide-zone offensive system along with Saleh, there are players on both sides of the ball who may no longer be a scheme fit with the Jets as well. Looking to build through the 2021 NFL Draft, here are three players who the Jets could move on from and save a great deal of cap space as well.
1. WR Jamison Crowder
Has he been the leading receiver for the Jets over the past two seasons? Sure, but after two seasons in the Big Apple, wide receiver Jamison Crowder could be looking a new destination in the face. As Saleh and Douglas look to make their mark on the roster, an overpaid slot receiver may be the first player on their chopping block.
Over the past two seasons with the Jets, Crowder has been on the receiving end of 137 passes, racking up 1,532 yards and 12 touchdowns for the gang green. This past season, Crowder finished with a statline of 59 catches for 699 yards and six touchdowns as the Jets trucked along to the form of a two win season.
Crowder enters the 2021 offseason with a base salary of $10 million, with the Jets set to foot the bill. Should they choose to cut Crowder, New York would see a massive savings of over $10 million cap relief, eating just a measly single million dollars in dead money to move on from the soon-to-be 28 year old pass catcher. It would not be a shock to see Crowder packing his bags this offseason as they look to build a younger roster through the NFL Draft.
2. OT George Fant
This past offseason, the Jets spent big money all over their roster, and one of those players they gave money too was a career-long spot starter George Fant to pair with 2020 first round pick Mekhi Becton. While he started 14 games for the Jets in 2020, Fant does not look the part of a starting offensive tackle, but rather the path that got him here.
With two first round picks and two second round picks, it seems like another offensive tackle could be in the plans of the Jets early in the 2021 NFL Draft again. With the likes of Oklahoma State’s Teven Jenkins or Michigan’s Jalen Mayfield in their sights in that range, the Jets have real potential to find a long-time pairing along the bookends of their offensive line.
Not only that, but Fant carries a cap hit of over eight million dollars entering the 2021 season. Would the Jets rather pay a rookie salary for a guy who has more talent than Fant and take a few lumps as they grow into their role, or pay Fant his money to take his already predictable lumps. At the end of the day, the Jets would only need to eat two million dollars to free up an additional eight million dollars in cap space should they cut Fant.
3. DL Henry Anderson
The sad state of the roster when a middling-to-above-average defensive lineman in the entirety of the league carries a top-five cap hit on your roster. This is the situation the Jets are faced with in the form of soon-to-be 30 year old defensive lineman Henry Anderson. He started just half the games for the gang green a year ago, and is now coming off of the worst season of his six year career.
How can the Jets justify paying Anderson up to nearly ten million dollars in 2021 based off of his current performance? Again, they have the cap space to upgrade in free agency, and do so for less money for what it is worth. They also have a world of draft assets to move around in order to upgrade the position as well; paying an underachieving veteran is not the way of the future.
Should the Jets choose to move on from Anderson this offseason, they will see a cap savings of over eight million years, and will suffer a hit to their dead cap of just over one million dollars. Despite having cap space, that is not a reason to keep a player on the roster; at the end of the day, Douglas can use that money to either carry over cap space, or add another far more talented player to their team.