4 NY Jets starters fighting for their 2023 roster spots this season

3. C.J. Mosley, LB, NY Jets

The Jets love the veteran guidance, leadership, and energy that C.J. Mosley brings to the locker room and the team's defense. He may not be quite the player he used to be, but he's as valuable to the organization as any player on the roster.

All of that may be true, but the fact is that Joe Douglas has been waiting to get Mosley's contract off the books since the day he agreed to become the Jets' new general manager.

Former GM Mike Maccagnan reset the linebacker market when he signed Mosley to a record-setting five-year, $85 million contract in the 2019 offseason. It was the only way Maccagnan, who was never one to be economical with his money, was able to get Mosley to agree to leave Baltimore.

That decision hasn't exactly worked out and Mosley's contract has been easily the worst on the Jets roster in each of the last few years. They've been stuck with that contract since he signed it, due to a combination of a player-friendly structure and clauses that pushed money back later in his deal.

That changes in 2023, however.

The Jets will have the opportunity to release Mosley and free up $18.5 million in cap space while incurring a dead cap hit of just $3 million. While Douglas never likes taking on dead cap, it's hard to see him passing up that opportunity.

The only feasible way Mosley remains with the Jets (at least under his current deal) past this season is if he returns to prime form and plays like one of the best linebackers in football.

Otherwise, Douglas won't hesitate to finally shed a contract that has hindered the Jets' cap situation since he joined the organization.