4 NY Jets who robbed the team blind in 2023

The NY Jets have given out their fair share of bad contracts over the years. From Trumaine Johnson to Le'Veon Bell, the Jets haven't always gotten their money's worth when it comes to free-agent signings.

That has definitely been the case so far in the Joe Douglas regime as well. While Douglas has made plenty of notable value additions, such as the likes of D.J. Reed, Quincy Williams, etc., he's also overspent in free agency on a number of occasions.

Sometimes, the free-agent bust was predictable the moment the ink dried on the contract. Other times, things just didn't work out for a variety of reasons. Either way, the following four players on this list did not live up to their contracts in 2023.

Dishonorable mentions go to players such as C.J. Uzomah, Duane Brown, and even Zach Wilson (third-highest cap hit on the team in 2023), who all fell well short of expectations.

4. Carl Lawson, DE, NY Jets

The Carl Lawson signing seemed like a shrewd move at the time for Douglas and the Jets back in 2021, but a torn Achilles suffered in Lawson's first summer with the team derailed not only his Jets tenure but his entire NFL career.

The Jets had an opportunity to cut bait for virtually nothing this offseason, as they could have saved $15 million in cap space by releasing Lawson before the season started. Instead, they decided to restructure his contract, pushing dead money into the future to keep him on the roster.

He's rewarded them for their faith by playing in just six games this season. Lawson has been the odd man out in a crowded Jets defensive line rotation due largely to a back injury he suffered this summer.

Lawson isn't healthy, and it's a shame we never got to see him at 100 percent with the Jets. That said, considering the Jets could have saved $15 million by releasing him a few months ago, it's safe to say he hasn't come close to living up to his salary this year.