The New York Jets still could use depth at safety and linebacker. Unfortunately, they are butting up against the cap as it is and might be right at the number by the regular season.
Let’s look at a projection of the 53-man roster from a cap space perspective.
Projecting Jets Cap Space for Final 53-man roster
Every team has a baseline cap number, but every team’s cap number isn’t the same.
The league started with a salary cap of $255,400,000. According to the NFLPA Public Salary Cap Report, the Jets carried over $4,746,494 from 2023. That would also mean they made $934,764 in adjustments as well. That gives them their final total of $261,081,258.
Dead cap
Here are the players that are projected to count as dead cap for 2024.
| Laken Tomlinson | $10,740,000 |
| John Franklin-Myers | $9,056,000 |
| Zach Wilson | $8,457,670 |
| C.J. Uzomah | $5,921,668 |
| Carl Lawson | $5,860,000 |
| Duane Brown | $4,728,000 |
| Jordan Whitehead | $3,300,000 |
| Mecole Hardman | $2,000,000 |
| Quinton Jefferson | $1,540,000 |
| Israel Abanikanda | $252,285 |
| Braiden McGregor | $220,000 |
| Michael Carter | $201,840 |
| Zaire Barnes | $145,176 |
| Jarius Monroe | $125,000 |
| Jarrick Bernard-Converse | $123,288 |
| Jimmy Ciarlo | $110,000 |
| Shemar Bartholomew | $105,000 |
| Al Blades Jr. | $100,000 |
| Nick Bawden | $100,000 |
| Tyreek Johnson | $50,000 |
| Brady Latham | $47,500 |
| Tyler Harrell | $25,000 |
| Marcus Riley | $15,000 |
| Lincoln Sefcik | $12,500 |
| Willie Tyler | $5,000 |
| Myles Jones | $3,500 |
| Jackson Sirmon | $2,500 |
Total Dead Money: $53,246,927
Cap Space: $207,834,331
Practice Squad
The practice squad counts against the salary cap. Players with two or fewer accrued seasons have a set salary ($12,500 per week, including the Bye), and players with more than two accrued seasons can negotiate with a range of $16,800 – $21,300. A maximum of 16 players are allowed on the practice squad, with a maximum of 10 with two or fewer accrued seasons and a maximum of six with two or more.
Note: For this exercise, we will use the maximum possible cap hit.
Practice squad cap hit: $4,550,400
Cap Space: $203,283,931
53-man roster cap space projection
| Player | Position | Cap Hit |
| Aaron Rodgers |
Quarterback
|
$17,161,112 |
| Tyrod Taylor | $2,800,000 | |
| Jordan Travis | $858,569 | |
| Breece Hall |
Running Back
|
$2,458,573 |
| Braelon Allen | $927,175 | |
| Isaiah Davis | $858,569 | |
| Garrett Wilson |
Wide Receiver
|
$5,605,638 |
| Mike Williams | $2,724,000 | |
| Malachi Corley | $1,104,265 | |
| Allen Lazard | $12,184,000 | |
| Jason Brownlee | $925,000 | |
| Xavier Gipson | $920,000 | |
| Irvin Charles | $915,000 | |
| Tyler Conklin |
Tight End
|
$9,338,334 |
| Jeremy Ruckert | $1,375,883 | |
| Kenny Yeboah | $1,322,647 | |
| Morgan Moses |
Tackle
|
$5,500,000 |
| Tyron Smith | $2,900,000 | |
| Olu Fashanu | $3,729,220 | |
| Carter Warren | $1,101,080 | |
| Max Mitchell | $1,184,007 | |
| Alijah Vera-Tucker |
IOL
|
$5,054,329 |
| John Simpson | $3,210,000 | |
| Joe Tippmann | $1,899,910 | |
| Wes Schweitzer | $2,028,235 | |
| Jake Hanson | $1,100,000 | |
| Haason Reddick |
DL
|
$15,000,000 |
| Quinnen Williams | $20,400,000 | |
| Javon Kinlaw | $2,850,000 | |
| Jermaine Johnson II | $3,569,303 | |
| Will McDonald IV | $3,709,469 | |
| Solomon Thomas | $3,000,000 | |
| Leki Fotu | $2,380,000 | |
| Micheal Clemons | $1,176,024 | |
| Eric Watts | $801,666 | |
| Leonard Taylor | $798,333 | |
| C.J. Mosley |
LB
|
$7,244,000 |
| Quincy Williams | $7,150,000 | |
| Jamien Sherwood | $1,143,714 | |
| Chazz Surratt | $985,000 | |
| D.J. Reed |
CB
|
$15,636,176 |
| Ahmad Gardner | $9,122,945 | |
| Michael Carter II | $3,448,232 | |
| Isaiah Oliver | $2,500,000 | |
| Brandin Echols | $1,098,548 | |
| Qwan’Tez Stiggers | $858,569 | |
| Chuck Clark |
SAF
|
$1,830,000 |
| Tony Adams | $988,334 | |
| Ashtyn Davis | $1,292,500 | |
| Jaylen Key | $815,183 | |
| Thomas Morstead |
ST
|
$2,050,000 |
| Greg Zuerlein | $1,882,118 | |
| Thomas Hennessy | $1,385,000 | |
| Total Cap Space | $261,081,258 | |
| Total Cap Liabilities | $202,300,660 | |
| Dead Money | $53,246,927 | |
| Practice Squad | $4,550,400 | |
| Projected Final Cap Space | $983,271 |
The Jets still need to do work to get that number higher. They should restructure Quinnen Williams and extend Haason Reddick to make that happen. Those two moves would open up $21,280,000. That’s enough of a buffer for 2024 with a potential carryover into 2025.
Main Photo: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
