9 NY Jets players who definitely won't be back in 2025

6. Micheal Clemons won't be back with the NY Jets in 2025

Micheal Clemons essentially became the poster boy for the Jets' defensive line malpractice in the offseason. A guy who would be a fringe 53-man roster player on most NFL teams was stuck playing 55 percent of defensive snaps for the Jets in 2024 due to the team's own mistakes.

Clemons stepped into a starting role this season following the departures of Bryce Huff and John Franklin-Myers in the offseason. The Jets believed Clemons could fill a similar tweener role to the one Franklin-Myers did in New York. They couldn't have been more wrong in their evaluation.

The former Texas A&M product was a complete liability for the team's defense. Clemons finished with a Pro Football Focus grade of 49.4 which ranked 111th out of 116 qualified edge rushers in 2024. He was one of only three edge rushers to finish with a PFF pass rush and run defense grade south of 55.0.

Clemons was a complete zero as both a pass rusher and run defender, making more headlines for his on-field skirmishes and personal foul penalties than his actual production.

Meanwhile, Franklin-Myers was outstanding with the Broncos this season, posting an 81.6 PFF grade which ranked eighth among all qualifiers. His 82.4 PFF pass-rush grade ranked fourth among over 100 qualified defensive linemen.

While Clemons is under contract for 2025, a new regime won’t share the same loyalty the current staff had for him. It wouldn't be a surprise if Clemons was not on a team's 53-man roster come September.

5. Javon Kinlaw won't be back with the NY Jets in 2025

From one defensive line mistake to another, the Javon Kinlaw signing looked like a misstep at the time and that notion hasn't changed with the benefit of hindsight.

The Jets opted to let the productive Quinton Jefferson walk for cheap in free agency, instead spending over $7 million on former San Francisco 49ers draft bust Javon Kinlaw.

Kinlaw was a former first-round pick of Robert Saleh in San Francisco, and the ex-49ers defensive coordinator took a chance on his upside believing he could maximize his ceiling in New York despite his lack of career production.

Saleh was fired just five games into the season and Kinlaw proved to be just as much of a liability as his San Francisco self. The South Carolina product finished with just 3.5 sacks despite playing 61 percent of defensive snaps.

Kinlaw was a major problem in run defense, posting a lowly 50.4 PFF run defense grade. He also missed over 15 percent of his tackle attempts.

The Jets will search for different solutions at the defensive tackle position in the offseason. Unfortunately, Kinlaw's contract technically won't come off the books until 2029 because of void years. Shoutout Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh for this predictable disaster of a signing.