NY Jets: Top 5 players to cut for 2016

Nov 22, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Jeremy Kerley (11) returns a kick during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The NY Jets have a lot of work to do as they evaluate their roster to determine which players to cut in order to field the best possible team in 2016.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the cap will be between $150M and $153.4M.  Over the Cap has the Jets spending at around $140.9M.

There could be some salary restructuring.  However, if those can’t be done, these players will have to get cut for the Jets to be put in a good position to not only spend well in free agency but also add top talent to key areas of need across the team.

Here are the top five players the Jets should cut heading into the off-season.

Next: 5. Breno Giacomini

Sep 13, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets offensive tackle Breno Giacomini (68) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports

5. Breno Giacomini

Breno Giacomi was brought in to be an upgrade for the running game.  He did do well but wasn’t as consistent as he could have been.

Unfortunately, he may be a cap casualty this off-season.  Right tackles are easier to find than left tackles.

His cap number is $5,125,000.  The dead money on his contract $1,250,000.

The Jets will still have to pay that regardless.  With that said, they will save $3,875,000, and he may be the first to go for financial reasons and the Jets possibly wanting to get younger at the position.

Next: 4. Jeremy Kerley

Nov 1, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Jeremy Kerley (11) runs with the ball after making a catch against the Oakland Raiders in the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Jets 34-20. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

4. Jeremy Kerley

Kerley didn’t do well in the punt return game and he couldn’t be utilized in the passing game.  He only had 16 catches.

He’s lost on a roster with far superior talent on the offensive end.  He led the league in punt returns.

Despite that, he was 15th in the league in average.  Nine of the 14 players ahead of him scored at least one touchdown and he didn’t score a singe one.

By cutting Kerley they can do two things.  The first would be opening up a roster spot for someone who could be much more productive and the second is to save $1.3M on the cap.

Next: 3. Nick Mangold

Nov 12, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets center Nick Mangold (74) in the second half at MetLife Stadium. The Bills defeated the Jets 22-17 Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports

3. Nick Mangold

Nick Mangold has worked his way toward being the second-best center in franchise history.  Wear and tear has shown its ugly head this season unfortunately for the popular star on the team.

In 10 seasons, Mangold has only missed four games, but they have all come in his last six seasons.  This season he had to leave some games, even though he re-entered many of them.

We can’t afford to lose him for a chunk of the season, if those times are a sign of ten seasons in the league, being 32 years old and getting older could be a reason why the Jets will cut him.

His cap number is $8.6M.  With no dead money on the cap, they would save all of that but the Jets will have to find a replacement center in the draft and/or possibly in free agency.

Next: 2. D'Brickashaw Ferguson

Aug 16, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; New York Jets tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson (60) against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

2. D’Brickashaw Ferguson

This is the local boy from Long Island.  Ferguson has played in all 160 games of his 10 seasons in the league.

While he hasn’t shown sign of aging, like Mangold, it may be a situation where the Jets try to cut bait before it’s too late.

Over the next two seasons, his cap number is $14.1M and $14.3M, respectively.  By cutting him, the Jets could save $22.1M off the cap over the next two seasons combined, with $9M coming this season.

Since he hasn’t shown signs of slowing down, trying to restructure his deal might be a better course of action.  If they can’t do that, they have no other choice but to cut him.

Next: 1. Antonio Cromartie

Nov 8, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie (31) runs back a kick against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

1. Antonio Cromartie

In business, there’s a term with the acronym ROI.  It stands for return on investment.

For all the Jets asked him to do, Cromartie provided very little.  When he stepped in to return kicks he had 15 returns for 25.1 yards and zero touchdowns.

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He was interception-free for the first time since his rookie season in 2006.  He will be 32 years old by the end of the 2016 season.

He is the best candidate for getting cut: high salary, showing signs of aging, low production and most importantly, no dead cap money.  If he were cut, his entire $8M salary would come off the books, and an additional $17M would come off the books for the next two seasons.