Tag: Joe Douglas

What another NFL salary cap spike means for the Jets

The NFL cap number is projected to be in the range of $196.8-$201.2 million for the 2020 season.

NFL teams will be able to spend a lot more money for the 2020 league year.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the NFL informed teams that the 2020 salary cap is expected to be in the range of $196 million to a little over $201 million. This marks the seventh consecutive season in which the cap is projected to climb more than $10 million per team over a year.

Since 2011, the cap number has increased by 65 percent and $76 million per team. The total projected player costs for the 2020 season will be more than $7.7 billion.

As for what that means for the Jets, they have 40 players under contract for the 2020 season, according to Over The Cap. They have $147,098,220 million committed to those players. Based on a projected salary cap number of $200 million, the Jets will have $52,901,780 in cap space for 2020.

However, this number isn’t set in stone for 2020, as the Jets can create more cap space through cuts and trades. One of the first players that will be cut after the season is Trumaine Johnson. The Jets will take a $12 million dead cap hit, but will save $3 million. Meanwhile, Brian Winters has no guaranteed money left on his deal, meaning the Jets will save his entire $7 million salary if they cut him as expected.

In terms of trades, the Jets could possibly deal both Le’Veon Bell and Jamal Adams in the offseason. If the Jets can find a trade partner to take most if not all of Bell’s remaining contract, they’d be in line to save a lot of money. The Jets would save a few million by trading Adams as well.

New York is also going to try and retain some of its upcoming free agents too, so that will cut into cap space, as will the draft. Overall, the rise in the NFL salary cap number for 2020 will be beneficial for Joe Douglas when he gets his first crack at free agency.

After Bilal Powell’s big day, do the Jets need Le’Veon Bell?

The Jets ran the ball effectively despite playing with Le’Veon Bell.

The Jets’ 22-21 win over the Dolphins showed something that could shape how Joe Douglas evaluates his roster at the end of the season: New York didn’t need Le’Veon Bell for the run game to be effective.

Take that with a grain of salt given the Dolphins are one of the worst run defenses in the league and Bell is still one of the most dynamic players in the NFL. That said, the idea that New York’s backfield could succeed without Bell is not without its merits and should give Douglas something to think about when deciding to keep Bell past this season. 

Consider Bilal Powell’s day as the Jets’ workhorse running back with Bell out sick. The 31-year-old Powell tallied 74 yards on 19 touches for a healthy 3.9 yards per attempt. His rushes were the second-most for a Jets rusher this season (Bell had 21 in Week 2), his yards were the highest for a Jets rusher this season (Bell had 70 in Week 7 vs. the Patriots) and his yards per attempt ranks third for a Jets rusher with at least 12 rushes in a game all season.

Yes, it came against the Dolphins’ 31st-ranked run defense, but Bell only tallied 66 yards on 17 attempts when he played Miami five weeks ago.

So looking at it from a purely statistical perspective, Powell ran better in Adam Gase’s offense than Bell did. Powell had 20 yards on the Jets opening drive and ripped off a couple of nice medium-yardage runs in the first half. He doesn’t offer the same receiving skillset Bell does, but Gase has already proven in the past he doesn’t plan on utilizing Bell’s dual-threat ability as well as the Steelers did, which almost makes the point moot.

Powell isn’t the long-term answer for the Jets at running back. He’s old and has never shown he can be a true bell-cow back. Neither is backup Ty Montgomery, who saw an expanded role and finished with 61 total yards on 12 touches. But after seeing the combination of Powell and Montgomery tally 104 rushing yards against the Dolphins, it begs the question: Is Bell an expensive luxury that the Jets don’t need moving forward?

Bell has been ineffective during his time in New York either due to usage, Gase’s offense or because of his age (he’ll turn 28 in February). Bell is on pace to average only 88.2 scrimmage yards per game this season, which would be the first time he didn’t average at least 100 yards per game since his rookie season in 2013.

But that doesn’t mean the Jets should necessarily end the Bell experiment early.

For one, Bell’s four-year, $52.5 million contract that he signed last offseason would be hard to move on from. There would be a $17 million dead cap hit in 2020 if they did. His contract also makes trading Bell difficult even after the Jets reportedly fielded offers from him at the October trade deadline.

Bell is also a great asset for Sam Darnold and takes the pressure off the rest of the offense. Despite his down season, defenses still respect Bell as a playmaker and key in on him whenever he sees the field. He saw at least 90 percent of the Jets’ offensive snaps the first three weeks and was an important safety valve for the Jets quarterbacks early in the season.

But Bell has slowed down the stretch. His production and offensive snaps have decreased rapidly since Week 9. Whether it’s fatigue or something else, Bell hasn’t looked as fresh as he did early in the season.

This all goes back to the underlying theme that Gase doesn’t need a workhorse back in his offense. While Powell’s 19 rushes were high for a single Jets running back, it was also unusual for the Jets to run the ball 32 times as a team. It was the most attempts by the Jets since Week 11 against the Redskins when the Jets rushed 33 times. Outside of those two games, the Jets typically average 23 rushes per game – 27th in the league.

Bell is on pace to finish with 244 rushing attempts if he plays the final four games of the season, which would be his lowest over a full season since his rookie year and the second-highest of any running backs in a Gase offense since he became an offensive coordinator in 2013.

Is that usage worth a $15.5 million cap hit in 2020 and up to $44 million if Bell plays out his entire four-year contract? Probably not.

Powell and Montgomery aren’t better running backs than Bell. That’s obvious. But their ability to operate just as effectively in Gase’s offense as Bell did in the previous 12 games at a fraction of the price should weigh greatly on the mind of Douglas as he sees all of the holes on his roster. 

Robby Anderson not worried about impending free agency: ‘It’ll work itself out’

Jets wideout Robby Anderson could enter unrestricted free agency after a down year in Adam Gase’s offense.

One of Joe Douglas’ most important decisions this offseason revolves around Robby Anderson.

The wide receiver isn’t enjoying the breakout season many had hoped to see from him in his fourth year, but Anderson said he isn’t too worried how it will affect his contract negotiations with the Jets as his unrestricted free agency draws closer.

“It’ll work itself out,” Anderson after Thursday’s practice. “I know the work I put in and I know what I’m capable of doing.”

Anderson signed his one-year, $3,095,000 restricted free agent tender this past offseason with his sights set on a big payday at the end of the year. But instead of a big season, Anderson has seen a dip in production as his receptions, yards and touchdowns have declined over the past two seasons. Through 12 games in 2019, he only has 36 receptions for 546 yards and three touchdowns.

He’s played well lately – with back-to-back games of more than 80 yards – but tends to disappear in pivotal games against superior secondaries. In two games against Patriots’ cornerback Stephon Gilmore this season, Anderson only hauled in four receptions for 21 yards.

Despite his down season, Anderson remains confident in his abilities and how that will translate at the negotiating table.

“I don’t really try to pay that no mind,” Anderson said, via NorthJersey.com. “Sometimes you can’t dictate a player’s potential and overlook what they have done. I don’t really think that’s going to be a factor, because I’m still the player that I am, it’s just the situation that’s been going on.” 

For what it’s worth, Anderson has been one of the best deep-threat receivers in the game since he entered the league. He’s averaged 14.8 yards per reception for his career, which is tied for 10th among all receivers with at least 150 receptions since 2016.

Anderson burst on the scene as an undrafted rookie in 2016 and followed up a strong end to his first year with a 63-catch, 941-yard and seven-touchdown sophomore season in 2017. His numbers declined with Sam Darnold under center, though, in 2018 and have dropped further with Darnold in Adam Gase’s offense. This season, Anderson’s targets have been widely inconsistent and he’s only eclipsed 100 receiving yards twice all year.

“It’s been hard at times,” Anderson said.  “But I feel like the games that I’ve put up, I’ve had pretty good games when given the opportunity I feel like. I know the work that I’ve put it in and I know what I’m capable of doing.”

Darnold put the onus on himself for getting Anderson more involved in the offense. The two have been magical at times the past two seasons, but inconsistent in big moments. Darnold also has more reliable options in the offense this year, including Jamison Crowder and Le’Veon Bell, who both saw more targets than Anderson prior to Week 13. 

“I think for me, it’s about getting the ball to him in a timely matter and making sure that I stay on time,” Darnold said, per the New York Post. “When you got a guy that’s so fast like Robby, you got to make sure you’re on time or else you’re going to miss him. I think we’ve done a lot better job, or I’ve done a better job of staying on time and on rhythm with him.”

If Douglas and Gase truly believe Anderson can be a quality contributor on offense and potentially a top receiving option for Darnold, retaining his services makes the most sense. The price will be the biggest question. Spotrac.com suggests Anderson is worth a four-year, $47,087,060 contract that would pay him $11.7 million annually. That puts him on similar contracts as Allen Robinson (Bears) and Alshon Jeffery (Eagles), who were the same age or younger when they signed their current deals.

Is Anderson worth that much money? That’s for Douglas to decide. If the Jets are serious about signing Anderson, they’ll have to weigh his potential off-field concerns. He was arrested twice between 2017 and 2018, including an ugly-looking altercation with police in 2018 which could have led to a suspension. Anderson’s been a model citizen since then, but there’s always a risk with players who’ve been arrested for these types of incidents in the past.

Anderson doesn’t seem concerned, nor should he be considering the interest surrounding him during the past two trade deadlines. Multiple teams inquired about his services but the Jets refused to trade him away. The talent is obviously there for him to be a quality contributor. It’s just a matter of what the Jets are willing to pay for his production.  

“I honestly feel like I’m one of the best receivers in the NFL when given the opportunity,” Anderson said Thursday, via the Jets’ team website. “If you look, when I’m given those opportunities and given those multiple targets, I put up those numbers that people that are considered top receivers do. And I feel like I’ve done that on a consistent basis throughout my career when given the opportunity. I’m just trying to make the best plays and do the best I can to contribute to the team.”

2020 NFL draft order: Jets have 9th pick after Bengals loss

The New York Jets are projected to pick No. 9 in the updated 2020 NFL draft order, according to Tankathon.

Even though the Jets handed the 0-11 Bengals their first win of the season, New York’s 22-6 loss wasn’t all bad.

The Jets now have the ninth pick behind the Bengals, Giants, Redskins, Dolphins, Falcons, Lions, Cardinals and Jaguars, according to Tankathon.

The Jets’ recent winning streak took them out of prime position for a generational pass-rushing talent like Ohio State’s Chase Young, but there’s still some football to be played.

From here on out, the Jets don’t have many easy games and could very well find themselves back in the top-five. New York has the Dolphins, Ravens, Steelers and Bills remaining on its schedule and could very well lose out.

Picking in the top 10, the Jets will be in position to take a plug-and-play starter and find an impact player. Names like Alabama WR Jerry Jeudy, Georgia OT Andrew Thomas, Oklahoma WR CeeDee Lamb, Iowa EDGE A.J. Epenesa and OT Tristan Wirfs come to mind.

Wherever the Jets end up picking, with a top-10 selection all the more likely now, they will need Joe Douglas to hit a home run in his first draft as general manager.

Adam Gase called an awful game against the NFL’s worst run defense

Adam Gase should have featured Le’Veon Bell way more against the Bengals and their league-worst run defense.

Adam Gase invalidated all of his progress from the past three weeks with a horrendous gameplan against the worst defense in the league on Sunday.

Facing a team that allowed an average of 34 rushing attempts for 166.3 yards, the Jets mustered a measly 62 yards on 17 carries in their 22-6 loss to the Bengals. Le’Veon Bell only ran the ball 10 times while Gase opted to let Sam Darnold air out a career-high 48 passing attempts, a plan that netted the Jets only six points and zero trips inside the Bengals red zone.

It’s impossible to see inside the mind of Gase, but one has to wonder what he was thinking as he watched a Jets offense that put up 34 points in three consecutive games fail to score even one touchdown this week. It almost defies logic considering teams averaged 25.6 points against the Bengals. But there the Jets were, failing to establish the run and just chucking balls around the field. Drops proved deadly for multiple Jets drives but weren’t the reason they couldn’t score.

The Jets’ inability to run the ball is well documented. They entered the game ranked 26th in rushing attempts (251), 31st in yards per game (73.5) and 31st in yards per attempt (3.2). The offensive line has made it nearly impossible for Bell and other running backs to find any space or lanes to run this season, but that shouldn’t have precluded Gase from exploiting the opposing defense’s biggest weakness.

The Jets’ 62 rushing yards we the fewest against the Bengals have allowed since Week 4, and Bell was arguably the best running back the Bengals faced all season. This was the perfect opportunity for the Jets to feature Bell more than they have this year. Yet, Gase decided against it, something Bell said he was “not surprised” by after seeing the Jets run the ball only nine times out of 37 first-half plays.

“That ain’t what happened today,” Bell said when asked about why the Jets didn’t run more. “We gotta deal with what happened and move forward.”

Bell publically admitted weeks ago that he wasn’t happy with Gase’s decision to not feature him more often. Well, after a game when Bell absolutely should have been fed, he should be even more unhappy with his coach.

Gase tried to explain after the game why he kept calling passing plays by saying “that’s just how the game was going.” But by saying that, Gase is implying the Jets needed to gain yards fast to keep up with the Bengals because of a big deficit when in reality the Jets were within 11 points of the lead until late in the third quarter.

Everyone on the Jets roster backed Gase after the Jets’ offensive explosion over the past few weeks. No one questioned the gameplan Sunday, even after falling to a second winless team this season. They’ll claim the team just didn’t execute or penalties negated big runs – both of which are true statements. The Jets had a few big running plays – including a 23-yarder by Bell – taken away by careless penalties. But that shouldn’t excuse a gameplan that inexplicably leaned on bad passes instead of smart runs.

“We did a good job running the ball,” left tackle Kelvin Beachum told the New York Daily News. “I felt that we had a good plan coming into the game. At the end of the day, we have to go and execute what’s called. But looking back at it, we just got to find a way to have a couple more explosive runs.”

The way to have more explosive runs? Create blocking schemes that allow for that instead of running up the middle with a mediocre offensive line. Bell isn’t the problem – we know his skillset. The offensive line definitely is an issue, but even teams with bad lines find ways to get good runs.

It’s on Gase to find a way to run well. If he can’t figure it out against the worst run defense in the league with one of the best running backs in football, there’s no reason to believe he can do it at all.

Jets in danger of falling out of top 10 in 2020 NFL draft

the Jets are in danger of falling out of the top 10 in the 2020 NFL draft after picking up three straight wins.

While it’s great to see that the Jets are stringing together a few wins, it’s also hurting their position in the 2020 NFL draft.

According to Tankathon, the 4-7 Jets currently own the tenth pick in the 2020 draft. The Jets are one of four teams who are 4-7, but only one of them is ahead of them and that’s the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars are ahead of the Jets because they beat the Jets earlier this season.

The Jets have plenty of holes to fill, including offensive line, wide receiver and cornerback. The draft is where you tend to fix these holes. So while the winning is nice, more likely than not they’re not going to make the playoffs and their primary focus will be on the draft.

Christopher Johnson has already said that Adam Gase will be back next season, so losing won’t put his job in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Joe Douglas was just brought in this year, so he’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

Obviously, the players on the field want to win, so they aren’t going to tank just for a draft pick. The next couple of the games should work in the Jets’ favor too, which again will hurt their draft stock.

But this team needs some sort of confidence heading into 2020. Ending the season on a sour note won’t be good for next season. More likely than not the Jets won’t fall too far down in the draft even with a couple of more wins.

What could a Jamal Adams extension look like?

Jamal Adams will want to be the highest-paid safety in NFL history, and the Jets can’t afford to wait to sign him if they want to keep him.

If Christopher Johnson really wants Jamal Adams to be a Jet for life, he’s going to have to pony up a lot of cash to keep Adams in New York.

Though the Jets control Adams through the 2021 season if they pick up his fifth-year option, they’d be apt to offer him an extension sooner rather than later, both as a show of good faith after a chaotic year and because of the potential price tag he could command in two years.

Adams is currently the 18th highest-paid safety with the $22.2 million rookie deal he signed in 2017 after the Jets took him sixth overall, but he will soon earn a much bigger salary. The Jets have three options with Adams: They can sign him to a contract extension at any point after this season, pick up his fifth-year option by May 3, 2020, or do nothing and let him play out the final year of his contract and let him hit free agency at the end of the 2020 season.

The Jets should take the first option if they truly believe Adams is the face of their franchise and the future of their defense. 

What would it take to sign Adams to a long-term deal? Well, you’d have to look at the two record-setting contracts signed by safeties Landon Collins and Kevin Byard last offseason. Collins signed a six-year, $84 million contract with the Redskins in March that included $44.5 million in guaranteed money. With an average annual salary of $14 million, he became the highest-paid safety in the NFL until Byard signed a five-year, $70.5 million extension with the Titans in July that included $31 million guaranteed and will pay him an average of $14.1 million annually.

Byard’s yearly salary is the starting point for Adams’ contract extension. In all likelihood, Adams would want somewhere close a $15 million annual salary, which isn’t completely unthinkable given Adams’ play of late.

The Jets also can’t afford to wait longer than this offseason to extend Adams because of the other safeties in line for massive deals.

If the Jets exercised Adams’ fifth-year option today, it would cost around $11.81 for the 2021 season. Since Adams was a top-10 pick, his option is calculated by taking the average of the top 10 safety salaries. That $11.81 million number could increase if another safety signs a deal that vaults him into the top 10.

That’s below anything Adams would ask for in a contract extension this winter, but by pushing the Jets’ deadline to sign Adams long-term by another season it could potentially raise the floor well for Adams if other safeties sign bigger deals.

The three names Joe Douglas will have to watch if he plays the waiting game are the Vikings’ Harrison Smith, the Bears’ Eddie Jackson and the Chargers’ Derwin James. Smith is up for an extension after the 2021 season when he’ll turn 32, so the odds of him setting the market price are low. James is already one of the best safeties in the league but also isn’t eligible for a new deal until after the 2021 season unless the Chargers exercise his fifth-year option where he’ll have to wait until after 2022. 

The price could go up for Adams if the Jets wait for Jackson’s impending deal.

Jackson is two years older than Adams and much more of a ballhawk, but he’s also one of the best safeties in the league and could easily sign a bigger deal than Byard and Collins as early as this offseason. If the Bears choose to extend Jackson before the Jets extend Adams, it could massively affect Adams’ asking price down the road.

The Jets shouldn’t wait for any of these dominos to fall. Getting Adams locked up before the market resets will be crucial to Joe Douglas’ ability to remake the roster and keep Adams at the same time. He’ll have at minimum $46.4 million to spend in 2020, and that’s before he inevitably cuts other contracts for overpaid players like Trumaine Johnson.

Yes, spending upward of $15 million per year on a safety is a massive risk for the Jets given the holes in various other positions on the roster. But for someone like Adams, it’s worth it given his performance this year. The Jets won’t just be paying for an incredible defensive back, but they’ll be paying for a top-flight pass rusher as well.

Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has been able to unlock Adams’ versatility both in coverage and as a pass rusher. He’s blitzed Adams at multiple positions on the field – edge, safety, cornerback – which helped Adams notch five sacks the past two weeks (six on the season) and put him on pace to break the NFL record for most sacks by a defensive back (eight).

According to Next Gen Stats, Adams blitzed an average of 5.2 times per game over the first eight games of the season. Adams lined up as an edge rusher 14 times against the Redskins, rushed 13 times and finished with a 26.4 pass-rush win percentage, per Pro Football Focus. On the season, he ranks first among defensive backs in blitzes (55) and quarterback pressures (12). Though he only has one interception on the season, Adams has broken up six passes and allowed a completion percentage of 53.8 percent and a passer rating of 78.7 when targeted.

Retaining Adams will come at a hefty price, but it will be worth it to preserve the closest thing the Jets have to a superstar. Generational defensive talents don’t come around often and the Jets would be wise to lock theirs up for the foreseeable future.

Adam Gase mum when asked why Ryan Kalil landed on injured reserve

Adam Gase doesn’t say much when asked why Ryan Kalil was placed on injured reserve.

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It was originally thought that Ryan Kalil would be back this season. Then the team placed him on injured reserve.

Kalil was placed on IR with a knee injury ahead of the Jets’ game with the Redskins on Sunday. However, on Friday, Adam Gase sounded pretty confident that Kalil would return this season and ensured reporters that he didn’t suffer any setbacks.

When asked about the change of plans and IR decision on Monday, Gase didn’t have much to say.

“That was just a decision that was made,” he said. “I don’t really have any further details on that.”

It seems like the Jets had seen enough of Kalil. He clearly wasn’t what the Jets expected when they signed him back in July. With a late start in training camp and him missing every preseason game, Kalil was never able to gel with his fellow linemen.

All in all, the Jets paid him $6.7 million for seven games.

As for his replacement, Jonotthan Harrison has slid back into the starting role quite nicely. The offensive line play has picked up over the last couple games and Gase is liking what he sees from Harrison.

“Jonotthan’s done well the last couple of games,” Gase said. “Really it’s just picking up where he left off. His knowledge of the offense is greater than what it was when we first started in the spring. He’s done a good job of playing fast and his communication has been outstanding.”

For Harrison, this is his chance to prove that he can be the starting center going forward. He’s under contract for one more season but has no guaranteed money left. Joe Douglas has already tried to move on from him once by bringing in Kalil, so it will interesting to see what Douglas will do with Harrison in the offseason.

Jets place C Ryan Kalil on season-ending injured reserve

Joe Douglas’ gamble on Ryan Kalil did not pay off as the veteran center’s Jets career will end after only making seven starts.

Former Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil came out of retirement to help galvanize the Jets offensive line and serve as a mentor to Sam Darnold. None of that really played out the way anyone hoped, though.

Kalil’s season ended Saturday when the Jets placed the veteran offensive lineman on season-ending injured reserve.

Kalil attempted to return to practice this week after injuring his knee in the Jets’ 29-15 loss to the Jaguars in Week 8. Jonotthan Harrison will take over as the starter, as he has for the past two weeks.

GM Joe Douglas made Kalil his first big-ticket free agency signing, hoping that Kalil would provide some leadership to the Jets offensive line. That didn’t sit well with the rest of the Jets offensive linemen, who had grown accustomed to working with Harrison.

Kalil was never able to return to his Carolina form and struggled to build chemistry with the rest of the room. Rather than serve as a stabilizing force on the line, Kalil had clearly lost a step and only hurt New York’s efforts in the trenches.

Douglas’ first gamble was costly, as the Jets will end up paying Kalil $6.7 million.

To take Kalil’s roster spot, the team signed OL Leo Koloamatangi off the practice squad.

Quincy Enunwa upset with Jets after being fined for missing treatment

The Jets have another angry player mad for how the team is handling his injury. This time it’s wide receiver Quincy Enunwa.

Add Quincy Enunwa to the list of injured Jets angry with the organization.

Enunwa, who’s been on injured reserve with a neck injury since mid-September, posted a series of angry tweets directed at the Jets for fining him $27,900 for missing two injury treatments.

Enunwa later specified that he only missed those treatments because he was taking his wife, Deanna, out for Veteran’s Day lunch and because he had a family emergency. Deanna Enunwa served in the U.S. Army from 2007-2010, according to her LinkedIn account.

“The biggest reason it hurts is that I’m on IR for the second time in my career and the doctor told me I have a 50/50 chance of coming back to play,” Enunwa later tweeted. “I shouldn’t even HAVE to be in that building being reminded every day of what I can’t do.

“This s—- feels like punishment already and then they FINE me the max. And then want me to continue to do my rehab there and IF I get healthy they want me to then play for them after.”

Enunwa says he only posted the tweets because multiple teammates told him it’s “f—-ed up” that the Jets are fining him for missing treatments.

This isn’t the first time the Jets have been less than hospitable to their injured players. Lest we forgot the Kelechi Osemele injury debacle in which the Jets denied the guard surgery for a torn labrum, fined him for missing practice and ultimately cut Osemele for getting surgery on his own. Osemele filed a grievance against the Jets before they cut him. Shortly after that, quarterback Luke Falk also filed a grievance against the team for cutting him after he suffered a hip injury that required surgery.

Joe Douglas is less than six months into his tenure as the Jets general manager and he already has three bad injury situations on his ledger. Not only are all three a terrible look for the Jets organization, but the pattern means there is definitely something wrong with the front office’s ability to deal with injuries.

Enunwa signed a four-year, $36 million contract extension with the Jets last offseason, and the Jets need to do right by a player who has battled multiple injuries since being drafted in the sixth round of 2014 draft.