The Perfect Offseason: Here’s how Joe Douglas, Jets should hope things go in coming months

Joe Douglas has a lot of work to do this offseason. Here’s how he can fix the Jets.

The Jets need fixing. That has been apparent for a few years, but especially after a disappointing 2019 season in which they failed to reach the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season. The 2020 offseason marks an important stretch for the franchise, as general manager Joe Douglas gets his first crack at building the team his way.

Have you ever seen “Freaky Friday,” the 2003 comedy starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan? Or perhaps you’ve heard the song, “Freaky Friday,” with rappers Lil Dicky and Chris Brown? Either way, I’m about to body swap with Douglas and construct what is — in my opinion — the correct course for the Jets to set this offseason. I’ll break down everything from free agency all the way to the draft.

I’ll close my eyes as Tyler Greenawalt and open them up as Joe Douglas. (Fortunately for the GM, he doesn’t need to assume my responsibilities for the day… anyway, here we go.)

Editor’s Note: OverTheCap.com’s salary cap calculator and FanSpeak.com’s mock draft simulator were used for this piece. Cap and contract numbers are estimations.

(Steven Ryan-AP)

The first cuts are the deepest

I need to maximize my cap space this offseason. Right now, I have $49,693,190 to work with against the cap. That’s not enough money to do what I need to do to fix this roster. There are too many holes that need filling and a couple of players signed by the previous regime are making too much money.

I’ve decided to cut the following players: 

  • ILB Avery Williamson: $6.5 million in cap savings
  • RG Brian Winters: $7.28 million in cap savings
  • CB Darryl Roberts: $6 million in cap savings
  • WR Quincy Enunwa: $2.4 million in cap savings
  • CB Nate Hairston: $2.14 million in cap savings
  • Various low-level cuts: $8.92 million in cap savings

Notable non-cuts: 

  • CB Trumaine Johnson: This won’t be popular, but $3 million in cap relief isn’t enough to get rid of him. He is still talented and we’ll lean on Gregg Williams to try and maximize his ability at a position where we’re awfully thin as is.
  • DT Steve McClendon: We just signed Steve to an extension because we value his veteran presence – both on the field and in the locker room. His expertise will help the young linemen around him, especially Quinnen Williams.

Cap space after cuts: $83,829,696

Alright, let the spending begin!

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