The Jets continued to stack up salary cap space with the release of veteran offensive lineman Brian Winters on Sunday.
Winters was a long-anticipated cap casualty after general manager Joe Douglas spent the offseason revamping New York’s offensive line. With the additions of Mekhi Becton, Cameron Clark, Josh Andrews, George Fant, Connor McGovern and Greg Van Roten, as well as the re-signing of Alex Lewis, Winters’ services were no longer required at One Jets Drive.
With Winters no longer in the picture, the Jets now have an additional $7.28 million in salary cap space, according to the Daily News’ Manish Mehta. His release does not bring any dead money against New York’s cap since he had only one year remaining on his contract.
Winters’ departure comes in the wake of C.J. Mosley’s decision to opt-out of the 2020 season because of COVID-19-related family health concerns. Since Mosley voluntarily opted out, he’ll either receive a $350,000 stipend if he’s considered medically higher-risk or a $150,000 salary advance.
According to Over The Cap, Mosley was supposed to have a 2020 cap hit of $17.5 million, but it will now be $10 million, which was his roster bonus. In 2021, Mosley’s cap hit will either be $7.5 million or $7.35 million depending on if he receives the aforementioned $350,000 or $150,000. So the Jets will have more cap space in 2021 because of that, though it remains to be seen what the NFL salary cap will be next season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
What the Jets decide to do with their newfound additional salary cap space remains to be seen. Carrying any unused salary cap space into 2021 might not be a flashy move, but Douglas is not one to actively pursue splashes — especially at the expense of New York’s financial flexibility. If Douglas and the Jets decide to save their unused cap space for 2021, that extra money will come in handy once free agency rolls around next March.