The Jets entered free agency as one of the richest teams in football and made good use of their wealth, handing out big contracts to fill pressing needs and spending wisely to upgrade their depth on both sides of the football.
Despite all the moves New York made in free agency, Joe Douglas still has plenty left in the bank. According to Over The Cap, the Jets rank second in salary cap space with $25 million — a number that does not include $2.8 million in savings from restructuring Alex Lewis’ contract.
New York still has to sign its top-four draft picks, which will eat up $9.1 million in cap space, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. That will leave the Jets with $18.7 million to spend, but that number could grow as post-June 1 free agency approaches.
If Douglas and Marcus Maye come to an agreement on a contract extension, it would lower the safety’s current $10.6 million cap charge from his franchise tag tender. There’s also always the possibility the Jets rework other contracts or cut someone.
Whether the Jets extend Maye this offseason or not, it remains to be seen how Douglas will allocate the remaining salary cap space. He could either spend on veteran upgrades in the secondary — such as Steven Nelson or Richard Sherman — or elect to roll the unused cap space in 2022. The NFL’s salary cap could increase by as much as 14 percent next offseason. If it hits the $208.2 million ceiling, New York would be $67 million under the salary cap threshold, not counting any potential 2021 rollover.
Douglas still has work to do when it comes to building up Gang Green’s roster before training camp and the beginning of the regular season, but that does not necessarily mean he is going to spend big while doing so. If Douglas opts to roll a chunk of New York’s remaining cap space into 2022, the Jets will be positioned to spend big once again next March.
That does not sound like a bad proposition for a team in the midst of a rebuild.
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