Jets eating $48M in cap after moving on from Rodgers, Fields

Florham Park, NJ – A look at what’s happening nearby New York Jets: :

1. A Real Caper: The NFL’s salary cap could create some strange situations in the world. For example: jets are paid geno smith $3.3 million more to be their starter Justin Fields going to be $8 million kansas city chiefs‘ Backup.

This is not ideal. Nor is the fact that Fields and aaron rodgersTheir last two opening days, eating up $48 million (about 16%) of cap space due to “inactive” charges.

Although the accounting may not look good on paper, it is important to take a broader view of the situation. That hasn’t stopped the Jets from being moderately aggressive this offseason — according to Spotrac, they rank 11th in team spending. They are also working with the knowledge that there are clear skies ahead.

We’re talking about over $150 million in 2027 cap space, which will allow him to be a key player next season. If a star player becomes available via trade, the Jets, with their three 2027 first-round selections and plenty of cap space, would be in a position to make a move on it. This applies to any position, including quarterback.

It’s all part of a carefully crafted plan by general manager Darren Maugi, who inherited the Rodgers contract and some other burdensome contracts (alan lazardAny?). This, to some extent, explains the huge dead-money loss this year — $104 million, which is the third-largest in the league, according to Spotrac.

Part of that is Fields’ cap hit ($20 million), which resulted from Monday’s trade with the Chiefs for a 2027 sixth-round pick. It would cost $23 million to keep him on the roster, but that wasn’t likely to happen after a disastrous 2025 performance.

The Jets ate up most of Fields’ $10 million guaranteed in 2026, which was necessary to facilitate the trade. Basically, Maugi was able to make a bad situation a little less bad.

This may seem like a waste of money, but it is much less in comparison. miami dolphins ($99 million) and Arizona Cardinals There are additional charges for ($54 million) tua tagovailoa And kyler murrayRespectively. As part of a growing trend, teams are more willing than ever to eat up big contracts.

2. Backup Plan: farm business That means the Jets need an experienced backup for Smith. carson wentz And andy daltonBoth were linked to the opening because of their relationships with new offensive coordinator Frank Reich, now off the board. Wentz re-signed minnesota vikings; Dalton was traded philadelphia eagles.

Options are becoming less. one of them is signing again tyrod taylor. He will work well with Smith – they have a good relationship – but the concern with Taylor, 36, is that he is injury prone. the second option is cooper rush32, recently cut by Baltimore Ravens. Other free agents include Joe Flacco And Russell Wilson.

You can never rule out a trade – Maugi has traded 12 players since last year – but the asking price remains high.

3. Journeyman: Fields is one of seven quarterbacks since 1950 to start the season opener for three different teams in three consecutive seasons. According to Elias Sports, he would be in line to become the first four/four player if patrick mahomes He will not return from his knee injury until the first week.

The Chiefs and Jets are scheduled to play in Kansas City. Revenge game on the horizon?

4. Fit to be tie-ed: One of the hotly debated draft topics is ty simpson Question.

Should the Jets select the former Alabama star at No. 16 overall in their search for a long-term solution at quarterback?

ESPN senior draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has the Jets taking Simpson latest mock draft. He gave two reasons: They could easily include him by making him sit a year behind Smith. There’s no guarantee, even with three first-round selections, they’ll get one of the top quarterbacks in the 2027 draft.

“There’s a perception that next year they’re going to get arch manning Or dante moore. Who knows whether they will or not?” Kipper said on a national conference call.

Kipper gave the Jets the idea to do so New York Giants did with last year jackson dart: Traded to the end of the first round. The Jets, with the 33rd pick, could easily make that move. The question is whether Simpson, who has made only 15 college starts, is worth that kind of commitment.

Recent history suggests not.

Since 2011, six of the seven first-round quarterbacks who had fewer than 17 college starts did not succeed in the NFL: Jake Locker (12), Christian Ponder (12), Anthony Richardson Sr.. (13), Mitchell Trubisky (13), blaine gabert (13) and Dwayne Haskins (14). The only exception was Cam Newton (14), the 2015 NFL MVP.

It would seem counterintuitive for Maugley, who has a long-term plan, to take a quarterback with a light resume in a thin quarterback class.

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Why did Louis Riddick rate Ty Simpson so highly?

Louis Riddick emphasizes why he thinks Ty Simpson has earned a top-15 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

5. Free Agent Updates: Busy offseason so far. The latest signing number includes eight outside free agents (totaling $70 million in guarantees) and seven of their own free agents ($7 million). Eight of their free agents moved on to other teams ($60 million), and they still have nine unsigned free agents, most notably Taylor.

6. Bookkeeping: wide receiver Garrett Wilson He has rolling guarantees in the four-year, $130 million extension he signed last July, and his 2027 compensation ($24.5 million) became fully guaranteed earlier this week. Earlier, this guarantee was given only in case of injury.

7. Iron Man: middle linebacker demario davis37, is an absolute miracle. He plays one of the most physically demanding positions in the game, and yet he has only missed one game due to injury in 14 years – in 2024, he sat out the game due to a hamstring injury.

He missed one game in 2021 due to COVID-19, but has logged more than 1,000 defensive snaps in each of the past six seasons.

“I think I have a phenomenal team that keeps working on me all year long,” Davis said. Two-year, $22 million contract As an independent agent. “It’s almost like a car. Once it’s off the track, it’s always in the garage, being worked on.”

8. Ball Magnet: nahshon wright It is an interesting story. traded by dallas cowboysCut twice by Vikings, landed with cornerback Chicago Bears Given a Pro Bowl season in 2025 and on a minimum salary contract. In fact, he became only the fourth player in the last 10 years with five interceptions and at least two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in a season.

All this after managing a combined one interception and zero forced fumbles and recoveries in his first four seasons.

Late bloomer or one-year wonder?

The free agent market clearly thought it was the latter. The Jets acquired him cheap (one year, $3.5 million) – a low-risk addition. It certainly addresses a need; Wright had five more interceptions than the entire Jets team last season.

For his efforts, he received a league-high $1.4 million in performance pay – A bonus program designed to reward low paying players.

9. Draft Selection Update: Maugy has done so much wheeling and dealing that it’s hard to keep track of the Jets’ draft picks. Their current 2026 draft looks like this: Round 1 (2nd and 16 overall); Round 2 (33 and 44); Round 4 (103 & 140); Round 5 (179) and Round 7 (228 and 242).

In case you’re wondering, their third rounder went to the infamous Eagles Hassan Reddick Do business in 2024.

10. Honor Hall: Former longtime special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff will be honored June 24-25 in Canton, Ohio, where he will receive an Award of Excellence from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “Excellence” awards, created in 2022, recognize significant contributors to the sport.

Westhoff told ESPN that he “couldn’t be happier or more proud” of the recognition. Many of his former players will be attending the celebrations. One of them, Westhoff said, started crying on the phone when she broke the news to them. Westhoff, 78, beloved by his players, was a pioneering coach who spent most of his career with the Jets and Dolphins.