Jets Offseason Mock 1.0, Part I
The New York Jets traded Michael Carter II and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for John Metchie III and a 2027 sixth-round pick. Let’s dive into where the Jets stand as we are set to complete Week 9 of the NFL season with the Jets on a Bye.
As of now, the Jets have approximately $74.6 million in total cap space to fill 24 roster spots.
Futures Signings (January) That Make the 53-Man Roster
In January, teams will begin to build their camp rosters with players that go on the Reserve/Futures list. Those players are locked into one-year minimum contracts. Those contracts have zero dead money. So, they won’t impact the Jets moving forward.
Right now, I only see a pathway for one futures signing to make the 53-man roster, and that’s Dean Clark for depth. He would cost the Jets $885k in cap space, leaving them with $73,765,321 come Week 1.
Quinnen Williams extension
In a previous article, we discussed a potential extension for Williams.
Jets Must Do Every Thing They Can to Keep Quinnen Williams
The New York Jets have a foundational piece in Quinnen Williams, and they need to do anything they can to keep him around for the building of this team.
His current cap number is $26,650,000. With the numbers in the extension, the Jets would save $15,596,000, bringing the total to $89,361,321.
Roster Cuts
A Justin Fields cut won’t have any impact on available cap space for free agency, but the Jets will gain $10 million in cap space on June 2. So the Week 1 number will be at $99,361,321.
Other than Justin Fields, the only players likely to be cut are Braiden McGregor, Tyler Baron, and Gus Hartwig. Their total savings is $2,921,558, bringing the total cap space for free agency (based on Week 1) to $92,282,879.
Tenders
Defensive tackle Jowon Briggs is an exclusive rights free agent. That means the Jets can tender him, and he would have two choices: sign the one-year minimum contract, or sit out the 2026 season.
He would count $1,075,000 against the cap for the Jets.
John Metchie III has 10 weeks to prove himself for the Jets, but he’s a restricted free agent in 2026. That means the Jets can tender him, and a team would have to give up a draft pick to sign him, if the Jets don’t match the offer.
The Jets should use the Second Round tender on him: $5,658,000.
Irvin Charles has been on the physically unable to perform list all season long, but he’s one of the best gunners in the NFL. He and Quan’Tez Stiggers would make a great gunner duo.
The Jets can use the RFA tender on Charles for $3,453,000
According to Over the Cap, the current Jets rookie pool is $19,369,182. That leaves the Jets with $63,802,697 for all forms of free agency.
Given that they sign three and release three, there’s no change to the available roster spots previously mentioned (24).