Written By: Perry Griffith IV
This definitely has a different feel from the other recent disappointing Jets seasons. The Week 16 home game vs. Green Bay is a great example why. The Jets were far beyond being eliminated from the playoffs, but fans were having a blast watching Sam Darnold battle it out with the legend Aaron Rodgers, perhaps because it gave hope that Darnold could be as great as Rodgers someday. It had been so long since Gang Green has remotely enjoyed watching a late-season Jets game. The amount of cap space is also giving the fan base hope as well. The new head coaching hire… jury is still out on him. Personally, I think Gase should be given a fair chance to develop Darnold, and he made an excellent hire in Gregg Williams for the defense. It’s now time for GM Mike Maccagnan to step up to show what he can do with this plethora of cap space.
Available Salary Cap Space - $93,837,909
Free Agents
UFA
Josh McCown - QB
Avery Williamson - ILB
Morris Claiborne - CB
Buster Skrine - CB
James Carpenter - G
Jermaine Kearse - WR
Bilal Powell - RB
Steve McLendon - DT
Benjamin Ijalana - RT
Rontez Miles - FS
Brent Qvale - RT
Neal Sterling - TE
Josh Martin - OLB
Jeremiah Attaochu - OLB
Brandon Copeland - DE
Andre Roberts - WR
Rishard Matthews - WR
Dakota Dozier - G
Jonotthan Harrison - C
Emmanuel Lamur - OLB
Henry Anderson - DE
Neville Hewitt - OLB
Jason Myers - K
Clive Walford - TE
Darryl Roberts - CB
RFA
Bronson Kaufusi - DE
Destiny Vaeao - DT
Eric Tomlinson - TE
Doug Middleton - FS
Robby Anderson - WR
ERFA
Davis Webb - QB
Jeremy Clark - CB
Frankie Luvu - LB
Deontay Burnett - WR
Benjamin Braden - T
Anthony Wint - LB
Potential Cap Casualties (Bold = Dead Money, Italics = Cap Gain)
Spencer Long - C ($0) ($6.5 mil)
Another $3 million due in 2019 will become guaranteed if Long is on the roster on the 3rd day after the Super Bowl.
Brandon Shell - RG (~$59k) ($720k)
*All figures for cap purposes are taken as pre-June 1st, unless otherwise stated. All cap figures courtesy of Overthecap.com, unless otherwise stated*
Team Needs
Center
Edge Rusher
Running back
Right guard
Right tackle
Draft pick Allotment
1st Round: #3
2nd Round: Traded #2 pick to Colts
4th Round: #3
5th Round: #2
6th Round: Traded #4 to Saints
7th Round: #3
Mock Offseason
Players Re-signed
Morris Claiborne - CB
James Carpenter - LG
Ben Ijalana - LT
Andre Roberts - WR
Jason Myers - K
Eric Tomlinson - TE
Robby Anderson - WR
Steve McLendon - DT
Trade
Jets get: #6 overall pick, 2019 2nd round pick, 2020 1st round pick
Giants get: #3 overall pick
Free Agent Targets
Le’veon Bell - Running Back (Steelers)
With Gase at the helm, it seems Jets will be moving towards a high-powered offense as the Chiefs and Rams have. Those teams also have great rushing attacks, and the Jets have the cap room to spend on Bell.
Golden Tate III - Wide Receiver (Eagles)
Very reliable receiver. Jets thought they’d be getting this in Jermaine Kearse, but he was a disappointment last season.
Jadeveon Clowney - Defensive End (Texans)
With the talented Leonard Williams getting consistently double teamed (and possibly even traded, if you believe the rumors), the Jets could use another great pass rusher to even out the blocking attention. Even though he’s a Pro Bowler, this would be a chance for Clowney to step out from the shadow of JJ Watt.
Mock Draft
1st Round (from NYG): Jonah Williams, OT (Alabama)
2nd Round (from NYG): Zach Allen, EDGE (Boston College)
3rd Round: Chase Winovich, DE/OLB (Michigan)
3rd Round: Tytus Howard, OT (Alabama State)
4th Round: Bryce Love, RB (Stanford)
Keep a lookout for more offseason blueprints as we get closer to the start of the new league year!