Tag: trumaine johnson contract

New CBA allows Jets to divide Trumaine Johnson’s dead cap hit over 2 years

Under the new collective bargaining agreement, the Jets can divide Trumaine Johnson’s dead cap hit over two seasons.

The Jets were waiting for a new collective bargaining agreement to be passed before cutting ties with Trumaine Johnson. Now that that’s happened, Gang Green stands to benefit from Johnson’s imminent release.

The NFLPA voted on the proposed CBA by the NFL and voted 1019-959 in favor of ratifying the deal. Under the agreement, there will be a 17-game regular season, an expanded playoff field, an increase in players’ revenue share, former player benefits and a 10-year labor peace.

A new collective bargaining agreement also clarifies the Jets’ situation with Johnson. With a new CBA in place, the Jets can designate Johnson as a post-June 1 cut, which allows them to divide his $12 million dead cap hit over two seasons.

In 2020, the cornerback’s dead cap hit will be $4 million, while in 2021 it will be $8 million. Under the previous CBA, the Jets would’ve been responsible for Johnson’s entire $12 million charge in 2020.

Now the Jets will have an extra $8 million in cap space for this upcoming free agency period, which officially begins on Wednesday. The league’s tampering window opens at noon on Monday.

Johnson’s Jets career was an utter disaster. He played 17 games over two seasons and only made the secondary worse. Johnson had 57 total tackles, seven pass defenses, five interceptions and one touchdown in two seasons with Gang Green.

Signing Johnson to a five-year deal worth $72.5 million was one of the worst contracts in Jets history. Now his time in New York will come to an end in a matter of days.

Jets tell CB Trumaine Johnson he’s getting released after 2 years in New York

On Monday, the Jets informed oft-injured and disgruntled CB Trumaine Johnson that they plan to release him when free agency begins.

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The Jets have informed Trumaine Johnson that they plan to release him when free agency begins, according to The Daily News’ Manish Mehta and multiple other reports.

This, of course, comes as no surprise. Johnson disappointed under two coaching staffs in New York, so this news was hardly unexpected. At no point did Johnson live up to the five-year, $72.5 million deal that then-general manager Mike Maccagnan signed him to in 2018.

While the Jets informed Johnson that he will be released, the move is not yet official. New York will wait for the official outcome of the CBA vote before making Johnson a cap casualty. By cutting Johnson, the Jets will save $3 million, but the remaining cap hit depends on the outcome of the CBA vote.

If a new CBA is approved for the 2020 league year, the Jets can designate Johnson as a June 1 cut and spread his cap hit over two years. Without a new CBA, the Jets would be forced to absorb the entire hit of $12 million.

Either way, it was time for Johnson to go. In addition to creating distractions off the field, the corner rarely impressed on it. In 17 games with the Jets, Johnson had five interceptions. He made upwards of $34 million in two seasons and was benched twice in the process.

Why haven’t the Jets cut Trumaine Johnson yet?

The Jets could save $8 million on Trumaine Johnson’s dead cap hit if there’s a new CBA in place.

If you’re wondering why the Jets haven’t cut Trumaine Johnson yet, there’s a reason for that.

As noted by ESPN’s Rich Cimini, New York should be waiting to see what happens with the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. If a new CBA is agreed upon, it has a direct impact on Johnson’s dead cap hit when he does get cut by the Jets.

Under a new CBA, the Jets could divide Johnson’s $12 million cap hit over two seasons. In 2020, it would be $4 million, while in 2021 it would be $8 million. As long as the Jets label him as a “June 1” cut, they’re able to go through with this method of paying Johnson.

The current CBA doesn’t allow a team to designate a player as a “June 1” cut since the agreement is up after this season. So, if the NFL and NFLPA can’t come to an agreement on a new CBA, then the Jets would be responsible for all of Johnson’s $12 million dead cap hit in 2020.

The Jets have until March 20 to see if a new CBA is implemented. Johnson’s $11 million salary for 2020 becomes fully guaranteed on March 20.

A new CBA would provide New York with an extra $8 million in cap space. However, if the current CBA is still in place, it’s not going to stop the Jets from cutting Johnson. The corner has been a disaster during his two seasons in New York. In 17 games, Johnson has 57 total tackles, seven pass breakups, five interceptions and one touchdown.

Whether it’s under the new CBA or the current one, Johnson won’t be a Jet in 2020. It’s just a matter of when.

And just like that, Trumaine Johnson was gone

Jets cornerback Trumaine Johnson didn’t answer any questions about his Jets tenure.

Well aware that his time with the Jets is coming to a close, Trumaine Johnson got out of One Jets Drive in a hurry on Monday. It was odd to see the cornerback moving so quickly.

Jets players spoke to the media one last time this year as they cleaned out their lockers, but Johnson had no interest in reflecting on his miserable tenure in New York. Instead, he wished every one a happy holiday and reminded them about his upcoming birthday.

“Happy New Years,” Johnson said. “My birthday is January 1.”

While not official yet, Johnson will not be returning to the Jets next season with his contract out of guaranteed money. If the Jets cut him before the third day of the new league year, they will save $3 million against the cap, but they’ll endure $12 million in dead money.

The 29-year-old cornerback was signed to a five-year, $72.5 million deal in 2018 by former general manager Mike Maccagnan. It ended up being one of the worst contracts in Jets history. Johnson couldn’t stay on the field because of injuries, faced team discipline and was downright atrocious when on the field.

In 17 games, Johnson had 57 total tackles, seven pass defenses, five interceptions, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and a touchdown.

Johnson also had behavioral issues in his two years with the Jets. At the end of the 2018 season, Johnson was benched in the season finale by Todd Bowles for violating team rules.

With Johnson’s exit coming, the Jets will be in the market for a new cornerback. New York’s cornerback depth was pushed to its limit with injuries to both Johnson and Darryl Roberts and it showed all season. Bless Austin and Arthur Maulet filled in admirably, but New York needs to upgrade the position this offseason.