Jets Should Re-Sign Kene Nwangwu Long-Term in 2026

Kene Nwangwu should be a New York Jet for the foreseeable future, despite injury concerns, because he’d provide the Jets with stability at one of the kickoff return positions.

He’s a very dynamic kick returner, and he can break one to the house or set up the Jets in great field position at any time. That said, injuries have to play a factor, and also, he’s not used as a running back at all, so that plays a huge factor in the contract.

So, here are the particulars of the deal:
3 years, $4,115,000, $250k guaranteed at signing, max value of $7,115,000

Note the cap charge for 2026. That would be based on him being active for every game the rest of the 2025 season. Only 13 of the 17 games next season would be LTBE. So, four games would not count against the cap in 2026. However, if he were to earn the full $1 million in 2026, the Jets would be charged for 21 games in 2027.

In this contract, he’d earn the minimum Paragraph 5 salary for each season, with a chance at earning an extra $1 million each season. He’s also a vested veteran. So, if he’s on the Week 1 53-man roster, his P5 salary becomes guaranteed.

This is a fair contract for a return specialist and well-deserved for Nwangwu.