Keep Or Cut: A deep look at 7 NY Jets players who offer cap savings

With the NY Jets season over and the QB sweepstakes in full force, the team will need cap space in order to sign the signal-caller of their choosing. There isn't a lot of money ($8.1 million) to go around as of now, but a few roster moves can considerably change that fact.

We've seen a few names floating around during the season, but we will go one by one and discuss the cap savings, dead cap incurred, and probable impact on the field of each potential cap casualty on the team.

Keep in mind we are not discussing free agents and whether or not they will be re-signed. That means the likes of Mike White, Quincy Williams, Connor McGovern, and George Fant are for another article.

This will solely be players who are under contract for 2023 but can save the Jets money if they are cut. Let's begin.

1. Carl Lawson, DE, NY Jets

• Cap Savings: $15 million
• Dead Cap: $333,334

We start our analysis by looking at the Jets player they have the most to gain financially by cutting. At the time of Carl Lawson's signing, there was no reason to expect anything but continued ascension for the underappreciated stud coming off his best season. Unfortunately, his Achilles had other plans (twice), and the Jets find themselves with a decision to make this offseason.

Unlike almost any other player on this list, timing isn't a factor. Whether they decide to trade or cut him, regardless if it's before or after the infamous June 1st deadline, the savings and dead cap are the same.

This may end up working in Lawson's favor because they won't be forced to act quickly — perhaps after seeing how free agency and the draft unfold they can decide whether or not to keep Lawson.

Here's the thing though: $15 million is a lot of money. Just as they might plan to restructure C.J. Mosley's enormous 2023 salary, the Jets should be talking to Lawson as well.

The Achilles injury is the most devastating in all of pro sports, and it's very reasonable to assume he may not have been 100% this season but will fully recover at some point this upcoming season.

The added QB pressure from Lawson and his cohorts (Bryce Huff, Jermaine Johnson, Micheal Clemons) was a huge reason for the emergence of All-Pro Quinnen Williams. To just let him (the only one of these people over the age of 25) walk may be a disservice to these young guys who thrived under his leadership.

It should be among the highest priorities (QB, OC, Quinnen Williams extension, Mosley restructuring) to figure out a restructure for Lawson unless they are fully confident in Jermaine Johnson and Bryce Huff maintaining their impressive pressure rates with larger snap shares.

Without constant pressure on the edge, it's possible we see the 2021 version of Quinnen Williams who does what he can but gets schematically stifled via double and triple teams because no one else is a viable threat.

This would be catastrophic for the Jets' defense in too many ways to name, so it's imperative to not get this wrong. Keep Lawson on a lower salary, or trust the younger guys if they are ready to blossom.

The Verdict

At $15 million or nothing, you have to cut him. There is just no justification for that money going to someone who's not guaranteed to change the game on every single play.

With the money needed to pay the new QB, $15 million will cover a great portion of that salary. Of course, the ideal scenario is to keep Lawson on a much lower salary and let him ball out with the Jets.

2. John Franklin-Myers, DE, NY Jets

• Cap Savings: $11.9 million
• Dead Cap: $1.2 million before Jun. 1, $400,000 after Jun. 1

This is the first of a few examples in which timing does have an impact. If the Jets cut John Franklin-Myers before Jun. 1, all $1.2 million of his dead cap counts against the 2023 payroll. If they cut him after June 1st, then it gets split between the next two years — $400k this year, and $800k next year.

Franklin-Myers' random contract extension in the middle of the 2021 season has to be the most curious and questionable contract of the Joe Douglas era. Douglas has famously been shrewd with his money and is constantly dealing talent for picks instead of investing in anybody, yet he randomly committed to JFM.

Franklin-Myers rewarded that commitment by being the only Jets player to get both an unnecessary roughness and roughing the passer penalty this season, including this penalty at one of the least opportune times of the whole season. There are Jets fans out there that will still claim to the grave that that penalty is what changed the course of the 2022 season.

Looking ahead, he and Lawson combine for $26.9 million of the Jets' 2023 salary cap, the third and fifth highest contracts on the team respectively. It would be a grave mistake to allow this to actually come to fruition without cutting at least one of them.

Franklin-Myers is a year younger than Lawson, but has never looked as good on tape or garnered the same pressure rates Lawson has. Franklin-Myers' snap share is down from last year, he didn't force a fumble like Lawson did, and didn't have an interception (he had one last year). I'm sure at this point you can tell which direction I'm leaning toward.

The Verdict

Cut him. They'll probably have to do it before Jun. 1 to ensure they have enough to sign free agents, but $1.2 million in dead cap isn't backbreaking. The Jets have no business making Franklin-Myers the 17th-highest-paid defensive end in the NFL for the production they've received from him to date.

3. Jordan Whitehead, S, NY Jets

• Cap Savings: $7.2 million
• Dead Cap: $2.9 million

We're back to an example in which timing is not a factor — those are the numbers regardless of when a cut happens. Jordan Whitehead is part of a 2022 free agency class that was pretty much all duds aside from D.J. Reed.

Whitehead is especially disappointing, as he is a blood relative to one of the most beloved Jets of all time, and has a Super Bowl ring, so a lot was made of his signing.

Especially with some of the talent they've had at safety recently (Jamal Adams, Marcus Maye) it was important that they didn't abandon the position altogether after letting two talented players walk.

Unfortunately for all of us, Whitehead left a lot to be desired on the field. Perhaps most importantly, he left a lot of tackles on the field time and time again. According to PFF, he was the 47th-ranked safety in the league. For those of you keeping score at home, there are only 32 teams in the NFL

Now in his defense, this was his first year in Robert Saleh's scheme and working with Jeff Ulbrich's play-calling. For all of the talks of Ulbrich's rotation throughout the year, Whitehead had an eye-popping snap share of 99.3% which enabled him to accumulate his career high in tackles despite the disappointingly high missed-tackle rate.

The Verdict

Keep him. At 25 years old (26 in March), it's fair to assume that he is still improving. If the Jets cut him, will they be able to get a suitable replacement with the $7.2 million they'd save?

Since they must also replace Lamarcus Joyner, it may be too much to ask for two brand new safeties to start and be any more reliable than our incumbent options if these new safeties are signed on such a small budget.

4. Duane Brown, OT, NY Jets

• Cap Savings: $5.2 million before Jun. 1, $10 million after Jun. 1
• Dead Cap: $6.3 million before Jun. 1, $1.5 million after Jun. 1

Another bad 2022 signing, Duane Brown was signed with a bum shoulder and remarkably played 12 games with that torn rotator cuff. He was good at first, and slowly disintegrated into one of the bigger liabilities on a decrepit offensive line.

Due to the nature of the deal (the jets seriously needed an OT), Joe Douglas had to think outside the box to make it happen. To not only overpay but offer multiple years was something that went overlooked because it so desperately filled a need but now puts them in a tough situation.

The ideal situation is to hope Brown retires this offseason. He can designate it now so that the Jets get that $10 million and spend it on someone who will (hopefully) play well. While the $1.5 million in dead cap this year is manageable, the remainder of the original $6.3 million dead cap number will be dead in 2024.

Still, that is probably better than spending $11.5 million against the cap for a 38-year-old man to be less than good for another year. The first-round pick of this year's draft should certainly be an offensive tackle, and then you have Mekhi Becton and Max Mitchell (maybe Alijah Vera-Tucker?) as options for that other tackle spot.

It should also be noted that quality offensive tackles can be signed for modest deals in free agency. I still lose sleep over the Jets letting their former tackle Morgan Moses walk to the Baltimore Ravens on a three-year $15 million dollar deal. With the $10 million freed up from Brown, they could make two of those types of deals and get quality players.

The Verdict

Cut him. It's arguable he should've never even been signed. Had Joe Douglas properly fortified the position (i.e. re-signing Moses at least) he would've never had to sign a very old, very injured replacement. Take the $10 million.

5. Laken Tomlinson, OG, NY Jets

• Cap Savings: $3-13 million
• Dead Cap: $8.5-18.5 million

As you probably could tell from the heading above, we've reached the most complex situation of the article. Long story short, Laken Tomlinson was abysmal this season and by far the biggest disappointment of the 2022 free-agent class.

He was heralded as a Pro Bowler who was extremely familiar with the system and proceeded to perform as the worst lineman on the entire team.

Unfortunately, the financial commitment made to him was the biggest one of Joe Douglas' career so there isn't really an easy out after one year.

If Tomlinson is cut before Jun. 1, the entirety of his dead cap ($18.5 million) goes on the payroll and the Jets actually lose an additional $1.1 million. Cutting him after Jun. 1 will split his cap between this year and next, and the savings jump up to $3 million (not a lot).

But here's where moving him becomes feasible: if traded, Tomlinson's dead cap becomes a much more manageable $8.5 million. If traded after Jun. 1, that $8.5 million is split between this year and next while the cap savings are $13 million. It would certainly take a lot of work, but the point is that it is possible to move on from this disappointment who will be 31 years old next season.

The Verdict

Keep him. It's not wise to make such a drastic move to such a key unit (offensive line) so late into the offseason. Tomlinson's best games were when Duane Brown was at his healthiest, so perhaps all he needs is a stud left tackle to perform.

If that's the case, get a stud left tackle (preferably through the draft) and hope for the best. If not, Tomlinson is an easy cut next year.

6. Braxton Berrios, WR, NY Jets

• Cap Savings: $5 million
• Dead Cap: $3.2 million

I don't think anyone was expecting Braxton Berrios to be the second coming of Julian Edelman this season, but I also think people were expecting more than the season he had.

After looking like one of the league's most dynamic kick returners, Berrios was flat in the return game all year, and let far too many balls get downed inside the 10-yard line when he should've called a fair catch.

His one highlight this year as a receiver is a lowlight, as his drop against the Minnesota Vikings cost the team a vital win that could've changed the trajectory of the entire season. Berrios wasn't necessarily horrible all year, but he was never great, and really regressed in all of the areas that made him a popular resigning in the offseason.

$5 million is a nice amount of money that can be used to sign a quality player. We just discussed how the Jets could've gotten Morgan Moses back for $5 million, and there are players like him at that price point for a bunch of positions. With the lack of depth at wide receiver, perhaps they opt to use that $5 million to get another receiver as well.

JuJu Smith-Schuster, Allen Lazard, Jakobi Meyers, Jarvis Landry, and even former Jet Jamison Crowder are all free agents who earned well under $5 million this year.

All five players would be significant upgrades at the receiver position, while someone like Zonovan Knight can step into Berrios's old role as a returner.

The Verdict

Cut him. There are just so many more enticing ways to spend $5 million than employ the fifth-best receiver on the team who isn't as effective as he once was on special teams.

7. Corey Davis, WR, NY Jets

• Cap Savings: $10.5 million
• Dead Cap: $666,667

Last, but not least, Corey Davis was signed in the same offseason as Carl Lawson, so his contract works very similarly to his. Not as much cap savings and a little more dead cap, but in the end, the Jets would acquire $10.5 million by cutting him regardless of timing.

Davis and undoubtedly been a disappointment in his Jets tenure. Reports point out how respected he is and how calming his presence is in the huddle, but that hasn't quite resulted in acceptable production from someone who was signed to be WR1.

It looked like Davis, a former bust fifth overall draft pick, had finally figured it out with a career-high 984 yards for the Titans in 2020.

In his two years since with the Jets, he's combined for 1,011 yards and played fewer games (21) than any other two seasons of his career. His nine drops over these last two years are also his highest total for any two-season period of his career as well.

Sure, quarterback play bares some blame, and the Jets have routinely been among the most injured teams in the league in recent history, but he still hasn't emerged as a statistical leader on the team.

In both years with the Jets, Davis has forfeited the team highs in yards to a rookie receiver and failed to establish himself as a consistent target.

The Verdict

Cut him. Don't think twice. This will be the easiest possible way to infuse $10+ million into the Jets' offseason spending. There will be viable options on the cheap, but the emergence of Garrett Wilson puts less pressure on this decision.

Making sure they have money to pay their new QB is more important, as I'm sure any veteran QB would be happy throwing to Wilson, Elijah Moore, Tyler Conklin, and Breece Hall out of the backfield, even if there isn't a splash addition to the receiving room.