Sheldon Rankins was a potential offseason salary cap casualty with the way the Jets structured his contract last March. Joe Douglas frontloaded Rankins’ deal with guaranteed money, turning a two-year deal into one New York could get out of after just a season without any major financial ramifications.
Fast forward to the second week of free agency and the veteran defensive tackle is all but a lock to be back with the Jets in 2022. A portion of Rankins’ base salary for next season became guaranteed on the fifth day of the new league year, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. New York will pay Rankins $1.25 million of the $4.5 million he is due to make in the final year of his contract.
The Jets lost Foley Fatukasi to the Jaguars early in free agency, making retaining Rankins all the more important. Rankins finished 2021 with 32 tackles, seven quarterback hits, five tackles for loss, three sacks and two fumble recoveries. Most importantly, he missed just one of New York’s 17 games after battling an assortment of injuries during his final two seasons with the Saints.
Rankins is now slated to begin 2022 as a starter on the interior of the defensive line next to Quinnen Williams. Even if the Jets select a defensive end high in the 2022 NFL draft and move John Franklin-Myers inside to play with Williams, Rankins will receive a plethora of snaps in Jeff Ulbrich’s defense next season.
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