Updated Jets Cap Situation

Edition #1041: With the NFL salary cap firmly set at $301.2 million and following the Jermaine Johnson trade, what is the latest on the Jets cap situation?

Good morning ☕

We are just four days away from the negotiation window opening for free agents and 6 days away from being able to sign said free agents.

Last week the focus was on the draft prospects, for the next few weeks it’s all about the free agents. This is where your pro-personnel scouting department make their money.

The Jets are set to be one of the big players in free agency with a boatload of cap to spend and a lot of improvements needed.

Today I’m going to attempt to look at the current cap situation, always a very murky topic that requires a few cups of coffee.

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NEWS & NOTES

• Interestingly NFL.com slotted Kyler Murray in as their 4th rated free agent after it was revealed that he would be released by the Cardinals. But that 4th spot on the list is only good for the 2nd best QB prospect out there with Malik Willis being named the #1 free agent on the market. That’s ahead of the likes of Trey Hendrickson who the Bengals didn’t tag.

• Sad news overnight as we heard that former Jets coach and legendary college coach Lou Holtz passed away aged 89. A statement from his family said Holtz would be “remembered for his enduring values of faith, family, service and an unwavering belief in the potential of others”. Holtz was appointed Jets head coach in 1976 and stepped down after starting 3-10 declaring “God did not put Lou Holtz on this earth to coach in the pros”.

• You probably knew this was coming, but the Jets have been named as one of the best landing spots for Kyler Murray by NFL.com’s Kevin Patra: “Murray presents a chance to bridge the gap to the future without costing assets or cap space. He might not offer the size new offensive coordinator Frank Reich prefers, but given the alternatives, he's the best bet in the current market. The Jets desperately need competent QB play. Murray's upside brings more. The price would allow Gang Green to spend their cash and draft picks on supporting players for their eventual future quarterback.”

• The Jets are also “doing work” on Tua according to Mike Garofolo: “Teams are doing work on Tua, from my understanding, the Jets amongst them, making some calls to get the fullest sense of who Tua is as a person. The Jets have multiple options when it comes to the quarterback situation. Tua, I believe, is among those, so let’s see if the Jets can keep him in the AFC East,”

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JETS SALARY CAP

How much money do the Jets really have to spend in free agency?

If you’re a fan looking forward to free agency that’s what you want to know.

The answer to that is around $74,336,113

That is basically the Jets salary cap ($322.6M) minus the Jets active cap spending ($157M) and dead money ($91.2M).

There is a slight disagreement between cap websites on the Jets team salary cap this year, OTC put it at $322.6M and Spotrac but it $321.7M.

The main mistake that’s made is believing that because the NFL have set the cap to $301.2 million, that’s the same for every single team.

That’s the base number, so that’s where you start. But then you add on any rollover cap you’ve managed and any adjustments required.

So for the Jets, it works out like this: