Jets must purge before they splurge
The Jets promised their fans a big offseason this week.
“I think that the fans are going to be happy with our movement as we go into the next year,” team CEO and chairman Christopher Johnson said.
That is because of nearly $100 million in expected salary-cap space and three draft picks in the top 50 of April’s draft. But before the Jets get to free agency in March or the draft in April, they have to do some of their own housecleaning by deciding whom to cut and keep on their own roster.
Last year, general manager Mike Maccagnan purged the roster of overpriced veterans. This year the roster cleanup will not be as dramatic.
The biggest name who will be shown the door is defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson. The writing has been on the wall for the past month that Wilkerson will be gone. After two unproductive seasons (ei ght sa c ks combined) and an inability to be on time for meetings, the Jets have soured on Wilkerson and his big-money contract.
The team must release him before March 17, when his 2018 salary would become guaranteed. The team will save $11 million in cap space by cutting Wilkerson. Expect the move to happen before next month’s scouting combine.
The other no-brainer for the Jets is running back Matt Forte. The 32-year-old had a career-low 381 rushing yards this season. He battled a chronic knee condition that put him on injured reserve to end the year for the second straight season. He was a good locker-room leader, but the Jets are not going to pay $4 million for that. They save $3 million in cap space by cutting him.
There are other decisions to made, as well. Cornerback Buster Skrine is a penalty-plag ued pl aye r who had some really good games this year and some terri
ble ones. The Jets would save $6 million in cap space by moving on from Skrine, but they don’t have depth at cornerback.
Others to consider dumping would be left guard James Carpenter ($4.7 million in savings), who had a good season but the Jets might be ready to upgrade the position, and wide receiver Jermaine Kearse ($5 million), another solid if not spectacular player.
The Jets also must determine which direction to go on young quarterbacks Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg. These are not financial decisions, but ones of roster management. It would not be surprising if Petty is cut if the Jets draft a quarterback, or if Hackenberg sticks with the team at least through training camp.
Once the Jets clear some roster room, they face decisions on who to bring back from their own free-agent class. The headliner is quarterback Josh McCown. If the 38-year-old wants to keep playing, do the Jets bring him back? The answer sounds like yes.
“Based on what Josh has done, I would have no problem bringing him back,” Maccagnan said this week. “But, of course, that is another thing that is going to play itself out here over time. He is a free agent, he obviously has to make the determin at i on from his end with his family [on] what he wants to do, but everything from our standpoint has been exceptionally positive with Josh.”
Cornerback Morris Claiborne, tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins and linebacker Demario Davis are all scheduled to become free agents. Each had good seasons and the team probably will take them back if the price is right. Davis might have more of a shot at a bigger money deal than the other two. Kicker Chandler Catanzaro performed well enough that the Jets should bring him back in 2018.
Among the unrestricted free agents, center Wes Johnson and defensive end Kony Ealy are likely goners.