5 roster moves to save the NY Jets $45 million in cap space

The NY Jets enter the 2023 offseason as one of 14 NFL teams currently over the salary cap. The Jets are roughly $1.4 million over the cap and will need to create some space ahead of free agency and the 2023 NFL Draft.

That means the Jets will have to make some difficult decisions. The good news is that general manager Joe Douglas has afforded himself plenty of roster flexibility to create that space.

From roster cuts to extensions and restructures, the Jets can explore a number of different avenues to not only get themselves under the cap but also create additional space to make some moves this offseason.

But that cap space doesn't just appear. How can the Jets create the necessary funds to have an active offseason? We break down five moves the Jets can make that would save them nearly $45 million in cap space.

First, a couple of honorable mentions.

Honorable Mention: NY Jets cut Duane Brown (post-Jun. 1)

• Cap Savings: $9.71 million
• Dead Cap: $1.58 million

Releasing Duane Brown before Jun. 1 doesn't make much sense for the Jets, as doing so would create more dead money than cap savings. However, they could release him with a post-Jun. 1 designation and save almost $10 million.

Brown is a bit of a wild card this offseason with his NFL future up in the air. The Jets might also want to keep him around at a relatively affordable cap number given the uncertainty at both tackle positions.

Don't be surprised if he's rendered a post-Jun. 1 cut, however. It would make plenty of sense for the organization.

Honorable Mention: NY Jets restructure C.J. Mosley's contract

• Cap Savings: $11.88 million
• Dead Cap: $0 millio

The Jets already restructured C.J. Mosley's contract last September, pushing more dead money into future years, and ballooning his 2023 cap hit to $21.48 million. The Jets would love to lower that number, but it's not quite that simple.

They might want to avoid restructuring again and pushing more money into the future. I wouldn't rule out a straight-up pay cut or even a post-June 1st release (the Jets could always re-sign him at a lower price tag), but a restructure feels less likely.

5. NY Jets cut Braxton Berrios

• Cap Savings: $5 million
• Dead Cap: $3.23 million

Most fans rejoiced when the Jets re-signed Braxton Berrios to a two-year, $12 million extension last offseason. A fan-favorite, Berrios was one of the best return specialists in the NFL in 2021, and he more than proved his worth as a reliable receiver.

Berrios was seen as a core special-teamer and a very capable fourth receiver option entering the 2022 season. Unfortunately, few players on the roster disappointed more than the former Miami standout this past year.

Berrios was straight-up bad in 2022. His return averages dropped significantly, he made numerous costly blunders on punt returns, and his limitations as a receiver became more evident.

The Jets lost their Week 13 game against the Minnesota Vikings due in large part to Berrios' drop in the end zone. He was primarily a net negative for the Jets this past season.

That's what makes it highly unlikely that the Jets decide to bring Berrios back at his $8.23 million cap hit in 2023. Simply put, that's just far too hefty of a number for a player of his caliber.

The Jets can easily replicate Berrios' production, both as a returner and a wide receiver, for less than that. A dead cap hit of $3.23 million isn't ideal, but the Jets can find a Berrios replacement with the $5 million they would save.

It's hard to justify keeping Berrios around at a cap hit of over $8 million. This is a move the Jets should absolutely make.

4. NY Jets restructure John Franklin-Myers' contract

• Cap Savings: $6.95 million
• Dead Cap: $0

I'd be surprised if the Jets didn't look to restructure at least one player's contract this offseason. The most logical candidate to me is defensive end John Franklin-Myers.

Franklin-Myers' $12.4 million cap hit in 2023 is the fifth-highest on the Jets roster at the moment, and while that's still a pretty reasonable number for him, the team could lower it quite a bit.

The Jets could theoretically opt to simply cut Franklin-Myers with a post-Jun. 1 designation, saving, $6 million in the process (and taking on $6.4 million in dead money), but a better move would be to restructure his contract.

A restructure would free up nearly $7 million in cap space this season, per Over The Cap. Now, restructures don't come for free. Franklin-Myers would still be owed every penny of his contract.

Restructuring a contract simply converts base salaries/roster bonuses into signing bonuses that are prorated across the length of a player's contract. Essentially, it just pushes that money into the future.

Joe Douglas has mostly avoided restructuring player contracts for that reason, with the exception of C.J. Mosley last year, but it might be unavoidable this offseason.

Franklin-Myers makes the most sense to me because the Jets see him as an important part of their defense and someone they'd like to keep around. His contract offers enough flexibility that a restructure is very feasible.

The Jets create some much-needed cap space and keep an important defensive player around at a smaller price while Franklin-Myers receives more guaranteed money in the future. A win-win.

3. NY Jets cut Carl Lawson

• Cap Savings: $15.4 million
• Dead Cap: $333k

This one hurts the most. I don't want the Jets to cut Carl Lawson. The Jets likely don't want to cut Carl Lawson. Unfortunately, it might be a necessary evil for the team this offseason.

Lawson made a miraculous comeback from multiple Achilles surgeries last year to play all 17 games this season. SNY's Connor Hughes reported last month that Lawson suffered a setback in his initial recovery from an Achilles tear in January of 2022.

The expectation was that Lawson would miss "a chunk" of the 2022 season. He didn't even start running until around a month before the start of training camp in July. Despite this, Lawson started all 17 games for the first time in his career.

Lawson wasn't the dominant force he was in his final year in Cincinnati, nor was he the player the Jets saw in his first summer with the team, but he clearly wasn't 100 percent yet. There's every reason to believe that the 2023 season could finally be Lawson's breakout campaign.

Unfortunately, it might not be with the Jets. Lawson has a cap hit of $15.4 million in 2023, but the Jets can cut him at any time with just over $300,000 in dead cap. The team can create over $15 million in cap space with virtually no penalty.

The Jets love Lawson and believe in his talent, but it's hard to argue he's worth that $15.4 million cap hit right now, especially considering the Jets can basically cut him for free.

I'd love to see the Jets renegotiate a new deal with Lawson, a deal that would add future years while lowering his 2023 cap hit, but it's unclear how interested Lawson would be in such a proposal.

I want Carl Lawson on the Jets' roster in 2023, but $15 million in cap space is too much to pass up here. The Jets can't really afford to bring him back at that number.

2. NY Jets extend Quinnen Williams

• Cap Savings: $6.81 million
• Dead Cap: $0

Let's discuss a money-saving move that should be in the best interest of everyone involved. The Jets could and should extend Quinnen Williams this offseason to create cap space.

Williams has already publicly expressed his desire for a new contract before the start of voluntary OTAs in May. The Jets would be wise to adhere to his wishes and get to work on an extension.

Extending Williams would create $6.81 million in cap space this season, per Over The Cap. That's one way to keep a franchise cornerstone around long-term, while also saving money in the short term.

Williams is likely looking for a contract that would pay him over $22 million per year with somewhere around $50-60 million in guarantees. He's not going to touch Aaron Donald money, but Williams likely deserves to be the second-highest-paid defensive tackle in football.

It would make sense for the Jets to try to get this deal done sooner rather than later too. For starters, creating that cap space in March would be a lot more useful to the team than creating it in August.

On top of that, the defensive tackle market is set to explode this offseason with the likes of Williams, Jeffery Simmons, Christian Wilkins, and Daron Payne all set to receive new deals in the near future.

That price tag is only going to go up with each extension, so the Jets should try to get ahead of the game and extend Williams first. Let the Jets dictate the market.

While many of the suggested moves on this list are quite painful, everyone should be on board with this one. Extending Quinnen Williams helps everyone involved in both the short and long term.

1. NY Jets cut Corey Davis

• Cap Savings: $10.5 million
• Dead Cap: $667k

This is the most obvious cut the Jets can make, and it seems very likely that this is the route they will take. Corey Davis likely isn't long for New York.

The Jets signed Davis to a three-year, $37.5 million contract prior to the 2021 season with the hope that he could fill a role as the team's de facto WR1. Injuries and drops plagued his first year with the Jets as Davis struggled to the worst season of his NFL career.

The addition of Garrett Wilson, along with the emergence of Elijah Moore, meant that Davis was relegated to a WR3 role in the Jets' offense entering 2022, something that many believed would work in his favor.

Unfortunately, Davis once again missed time due to injury and just never produced the way the team hoped he would. In two seasons, Davis has missed 11 games and has just 66 catches, 1,028 yards, and six touchdowns to his name.

The Jets like the fact that Davis is one of the best run-blocking wide receivers in football, and he is genuinely a big part of the team's running game when healthy, but his lack of reliability can't be overlooked either.

The Jets can save $10.5 million by cutting Davis at any point this offseason while taking on less than $1 million in dead cap. It's an obvious move, and one the Jets are expected to make.

The team can look to find Davis' replacement in the offseason, either via free agency (Allen Lazard?) or the draft. Either way, the Jets can do better than Davis for the $11.17 million he's owed in 2023.