Jets will be forced into major offseason spending spree by NFLPA

The New York Jets enter the offseason with roughly $80 million in cap space, per Over the Cap, and they're going to have to use it.

Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey have to put a winning product, or at least a competitive one, on the field in 2026 to keep their jobs, and they'll look to bring in some key contributors to avoid another disastrous season.

But there's also another reason the Jets will have to spend some money this offseason, and it's not just to bring in new players. The NFLPA requires each team to use a certain percentage of the cap on player contracts, and as it stands now, New York is well below that threshold.

Jets must spend at least $50 million on contracts this offseason to satisfy the NFLPA

According to Essentially Sports' Tony Pauline, the NFLPA requires teams to meet a certain threshold of spent cap space over three years, and the Jets, along with several other teams, are below that mark.

"Several teams, including the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, as well as the Tennessee Titans, must spend an additional $50 million on player contracts this year to meet their three-year requirement, according to the CBA."

Tony Pauline

Pauline notes that he expects the contracts and extensions that teams hand out this offseason to be frontloaded, to help meet the threshold that the NFLPA set in the most recent collective bargaining agreement.

So what does this mean for the Jets? Expect them to be active in free agency, if that wasn't already the plan. They'll surely look to spend on some new members of the defense, since they were one of the league's worst units in 2025 and lost some star power at the deadline.

Perhaps a few veterans will get short-term deals with the money loaded up in year one of the contract to become NFLPA compliant.

Another contract to keep an eye on could be Breece Hall's potential extension. Running back contracts are always interestingly structured, and if the Jets can come to terms with their starting running back, it could be a deal that sees all the guaranteed money in the first year or two, similar to the deal the Dallas Cowboys gave Javonte Williams on Saturday.

Regardless, the Jets will be active spenders in free agency, and it will be fun to watch where exactly they decide to splurge once March rolls around.