NY Jets: Top 5 problematic 2016 contracts

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

The NY Jets have a lot of work ahead of them this offseason when it comes to handling their most problematic contracts.

The Jets have some serious salary cap issues this offseason. In December, ESPN‘s Rob Demovsky reported that the NFL’s salary cap will be between $150M and $153.4M in 2016. Right now, according to Over the Cap, the Jets 2016 cap number is around $145.4M.

The Jets have three options. They can renegotiate the contracts of players, cut players (before or after June 1) or trade players. They all have different effects on the salary cap.

Renegotiating contracts are usually the best option for teams. They have future ramifications. Backloading a contract may hamper a team in the future, especially if the contact is 100% dead money, which is money that will count against the cap regardless of whether or not the player is on the roster.

Trade is another option. Similar to cutting a player, the team would still be responsible for a prorated portion of his signing bonus. For example, if the Jets were to trade Buster Skrine they would take a $3.75M cap hit on dead prorated signing bonuses, but they would save $4M in cap space for 2016.

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Cutting a player is the third option, but not always beneficial. The example I used earlier with Skrine, cutting him would not save the Jets any money at all.

The Jets will definitely need to work some magic (and possibly some contracts) to get the needed cap space to be able to compete next season. As shown earlier, the Jets will only have $8M to maneuver around with free agency and April’s draft. That means there will be some serious cap casualties coming this offseason.

Here are the top five most problematic contracts facing the Jets this offseason.

Next: 5. Troublesome defensive lineman

Dec 13, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) scrambles with the ball away from New York Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson (91) during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. The Jets defeated the Titans 30-8. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

5. Sheldon Richardson

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t even consider trading or cutting Richardson, because he is one of our best young defensive linemen, and the Jets need him in their defensive line rotation to be successful. However, there are two extenuating circumstances as to why Richardson needs to be removed from the team (even though I believe the Jets won’t).

He was suspended four games under the NFL’s substance abuse program, which means he failed a drug test. However, it also means he didn’t fail once, but he failed more than once, and the repeat offense shows he’s young and immature, but I am willing to give him a pass for that.

Strike two is the driving incident involving fleeing the police. His actions put the lives of other motorists and the other passengers in his car in danger, including a 12-year old child. This only a little more than a month after saying he won’t have his name in the news again.

I believe that the Jets won’t get “fair market value” for Richardson, because, in my estimations he will likely get a six to maybe even eight game suspension for a violation of the personal conduct policy. Even with that said, his conduct has been detrimental to the Jets, and even if he somehow escapes penalty, the Jets can use the $1.776M in cap space they would be afforded.

Best option: Find a suitable trade or cut if one isn’t found

Next: 4. Aging offensive lineman

Jan 3, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; New York Jets tackle Breno Giacomini (68) against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Bills beat the Jets 22 to 17. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

4. Breno Giacomini

Giacomini was great for Seattle, opening holes for Marshawn Lynch and protecting Russell Wilson, but for the Jets he has been barely average. He was signed by the Jets under the Ryan/Idzik regime, and they have proven to be substandard when it comes to judging talent.

In his career, Giacomini has played in 73 games and started 65. He will be 31 come the end of the 2016 season, and it is possible that the age and attrition is catching up to him earlier than imagined, because his body took more of a pounding due to the way Seattle used him.

He played decently this year, but unfortunately he doesn’t warrant the $5.265 price tag the Jets would be stuck with. The cap savings of $3.75M the Jets would garner by cutting him would be worth it considering it is necessary.

Best option: Cut

Next: 3. Unproductive defensive back

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3. Antonio Cromartie

Cromartie was thought to be one of the key signings by general manager Mike Maccagnan during the 2015 offseason, but his signing turned out to be anything but that. His $7M cap number for 2015 turned out to be one of Maccagnan’s worst moves of the offseason.

It is possible he lost a step, or it is possible the teams targeted Skrine and the rookies in the defensive backfield. With that said, there is no excuse for his lack of production this season.

Cromartie only had 29 tackles, and he had his first zero turnover season since his rookie year. Their offseason acquisition, Skrine, who was the third defensive back in the rotation, even forced one turnover.

His price tag next season will be $8M, and no matter whether he is traded or cut the entire $8M comes off the books. That would more than double the available cap space for the Jets, and it must be done, because he didn’t produce and the Jets are in win-now mode.

Best option: Cut

Next: 2. Big time offensive lineman

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 /

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

Ferguson is the highest paid offensive lineman and second highest paid player on the team, and rightfully so. He is the blindside protector of the most important position on the team, and he is the linchpin of the offensive line’s productivity.

He has shown to be the ironman of the offensive line, because since they drafted him out of Virginia in 2006, he has played in and started every game of every season (160). He is 32 years old, and he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down, and he is one of the best left tackles in the NFL.

His $14.107M salary cap hit will be a burden for the Jets in 2016. Even though they would save $9.093M if they cut him, his talent and off the field record show he shouldn’t be cut. They can renegotiate the contract and move some money to the 2017 season which will burden them again next season.

They can deal with that next season. The Jets are in win-now mode, and must be “all in” for the 2016 season, even if that hurts them in 2017. It’s Super Bowl or bust in 2016.

Best option: Renegotiate

Next: 1. The player with his own island

Oct 4, 2015; London, ENG; New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) catches an interception during the second half of the game against the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Flynn-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Darrelle Revis

Revis’s contract hit is the biggest for the Jets in 2016. His $17M cap hit makes him unmovable, and the Jets shouldn’t even consider trading or cutting their best player on the defense.

Football is the ultimate team game, and everyone looks at Muhammad Wilkerson and his 12 sacks as the best player on the defense, but the back end of the defense helps get some of those those sacks. It appeared as if Revis lost a step toward the end of the season, but without him they wouldn’t have been in the position to be one win from a playoff berth, because he had nine of the team’s 30 turnovers.

ESPN’s Rich Cimini wrote that he believes that Revis is willing to renegotiate his contract, because he gets his money regardless. His scenario is that they would convert most of his $17M into a signing bonus, but it would cost the Jets an extra $4M in 2017-2020.

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That means in 2017 his number would be $19.3M, which would require a second year of renegotiation, but that’s ok. As of right now his cap number in 2018 and 2019 is $10,893,836, and that might not be as big of a hit toward those cap years, which means it’s not as problematic as Cimini says in his article.

Best option: Renegotiate

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