Jets Offseason Mock 1.0, Part II

Our starting point for free agency for the New York Jets is $67,255,697 and 24 roster spots to fill.

In previous articles, we’ve discussed bringing back some players. Let’s take a look at those cap charges and apply them to this exercise.

Breece Hall: $4,321,750
Nick Folk: $1,946,100
Josh Myers: $2,651,712
Jeremy Ruckert: $1,901,959
Isaiah Likely: $2,219,819

This would leave 19 roster spots open for the draft and the remainder of free agency, with $50,761,357 allocated for free agency.

Veteran Salary Benefit

The veteran salary benefit is actually beneficial to both the team and the player. It allows for a team to sign a player to the minimum contract, plus a maximum of $207,500 in “additional compensation” (usually a signing bonus). The player will get paid the minimum salary for however many credited seasons he has, but the benefit to the team is that he will only be charged the base salary for two credited seasons.

Teams are only permitted to sign two players using the VSB.

For the 2026 season, the Jets should bring back Andrew Beck to be FB/TE4. They would sign him to a one-year $1,422,500 contract. His cap charge would be $1,282,500.

From the outside, the Jets could bring back Folorunso Fatukasi to be depth along the interior defensive line. His cap charge would also be $1,282,500

Kene Nwangwu

Nwangwu provides stability as a kickoff returner. The Jets need that, and he should be brought back at a similar contract to this season’s. For 2026, he’d get a bump in minimum pay plus a raise in the signing bonus, the same guarantee, and the same roster bonus.

Entering his age 28 season, the Jets should give him a somewhat long-term deal, with the minimum salary for each season.

Reed Blankenship

Full Contract Terms
5 years, $50.5 million
2026-27 Fully guaranteed at signing
2028-29 guaranteed for injury at signing
2028 fully guaranteed on the fifth day of 2027
2029 fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the waiver period

The Jets need help at safety, and since they need two, it wouldn’t be prudent to go into the draft needing both spots. Blankenship will be the best safety available, if he hits the market. So, the Jets would be wise to go after him.

Nakobe Dean

Full Contract Terms
5 years, $61,046,330
2026 base salary fully guaranteed at signing
Contract Triggers:
2027 compensation fully guaranteed if:
All 2026 incentives are reached, or
On active roster on the fifth day of the waiver period
2028 compensation fully guaranteed on fifth day of 2027
2029 compensation fully guaranteed on fifth day of 2029
$5 million in incentives for playing time and team improvement in 2026

The risk/reward factor is high on this one. Dean will be coming off an injury that he recently recovered from, which is why Philadelphia might just let him hit the market. It’s well worth the risk, given Dean’s ability at linebacker, and the structure that’s set up would also allow the Jets to mitigate the risk.

John Franklin-Myers

Full Contract Terms
5 years, $50,546,366
2026-27 Fully guaranteed at signing
2028-29 guaranteed for injury at signing
2028 fully guaranteed on the fifth day of 2027
2029 fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the waiver period

The Broncos may be able to re-sign JFM, but if he hits the free agent market, he can fill two voids for the Jets. He can play on the interior on obvious passing downs to give the Jets an athletic presence in the middle, and he can also play on the edge all three downs as he’s a quality edge setter against the run and pass rusher as well.

Kris Boyd

Boyd was supposed to be a special teamer in 2025 for the Jets. Unfortunately, he was injured in 2025, but that shouldn’t preclude the Jets from bringing him back on a one-year deal for the same role.

P5 Salary: $1.3 million
Signing Bonus: $100k
Per-Game Roster Bonus: $100k

Dan Skipper

Dan Skipper is currently a backup tackle for the Lions, who has proven to be a reliable swing tackle. He’s also been used as a tight end and has two career catches when lined up in-line. He could provide the Jets some relief if needed at right and left tackle with a quality veteran.

P5 Salary: $1.3 million
Signing Bonus: $200k

Chuck Clark

Quality depth is hard to find, but that’s what Chuck Clark would bring to the Jets in 2026. It’s another one-year deal here, but Clark would bring veteran experience and decent play to the Jets bench. He could step in for a play or two or even in a game or two.

P5 salary: $1.3 million
Signing Bonus: $700k

Marcus Mariota

The Jets would sign Mariota to be the starting QB in 2026 for what they expect to be most of the season, barring injury.

Give him a one-year incentive-laden deal with a 2026 cash payout of what will likely be $7 million (max value of $9 million), and a dead cap charge of $4 million in 2026.

Any incentives earned in 2026 would count against the 2027 cap.

Trystan Colon

Colon would give the Jets a versatile piece for depth, similar to Josh Myers this past offseason. So, the Jets would give him a similar contract to Myers to be the primary backup interior offensive lineman at all three spots.

P5 Salary: $1,215,000
Signing Bonus: $785,000
NLTBE Incentives: $1 million
Cap Charge: $2 million

Chukwuma Okorafor

Okarafor would give the Jets solid depth at tackle, along with Skipper. They could sign him for a minimum one-year contract with a small signing bonus.

P5 Salary: $1,300,000
Signing Bonus: $37,500
Cap Charge: $1.3375 million

Delayed Jermaine Johnson II Extension

Between the free agency period and the NFL Draft, the Jets will get the deal proposed in an earlier article done.

After signing Jermaine Johnson II to the 4-year, $121,940,303 extension, the Jets would save $9,756,800 in cap space. This would give the Jets $36,156,536 (factoring in the current draft pool).

They would go into the draft with 46 of the 53 roster spot filled of the 53-man roster.

The draft needs would be as follows:

Franchise QB
WR2
OT Depth
IOL Depth
EDGE depth (2)
IDL depth/potential replacement for Harrison Phillips