The New York Jets have agreed on a contract restructure with guard Alex Lewis, keeping him around for competition and depth.
According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the New York Jets and guard Alex Lewis have agreed upon a restructured contract.
The Jets and G Alex Lewis have agreed to a reworked contract that pays him a base salary of $3M this year (previously $5.8M) while eliminating the final year of the deal in 2022.
Lewis, who is competing for the starting RG spot, is now scheduled to be a free agent in 2022.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) May 27, 2021
Lewis previously had two years remaining on the three-year, $18.6 million contract he signed with the Jets prior to the 2020 season. In 2021, he was set to have a cap hit of $6.8 million with a $5.8 million base salary.
According to Yates, the Jets lowered Lewis’s 2021 base salary to $3.0 million while eliminating the final year of his contract in 2022, essentially putting Lewis on a one-year, $3.0 million pact that expires after this season.
As Lewis’s deal only promised $5.6 million guaranteed, the Jets had the flexibility to release him without having to take on much dead money. If cut this offseason, the Jets would have saved $5.2 million in cap space while eating $1.7 million in dead money.
Lewis had a rough 2020 season. He allowed 24 pressures over 349 snaps in pass protection, a rate of 6.9% that ranked fourth-worst out of 66 qualified guards.
That level of performance isn’t quite good enough to warrant a $6.8 million cap hit, so it always seemed likely that the Jets would make a decision on Lewis.
Instead of cutting him, the sides met in the middle to keep him around at a reasonable cost to provide depth and compete against Greg Van Roten, Cameron Clark, Dan Feeney, Corey Levin, and possibly others for the starting right guard spot.
This deal seemed to be one sided, understand that Lewis got a on million guarantee, and per game incentives.. Which would indicate that the Jets value him. Interesting in The RG. Competition, Feeney 27 with 3 million in guarantees , Lewis 29 with 1 million in guarantees, and GVR 31, with 0 guaranteed money. Of course Cam Clark is in the second year of a 4 year rookie contract.
Douglas was exceptionally patient.Competition for IOL will increase. With GVR, Feeney,& Cam Clark. Douglas salvaged a bad situation, Lewis has an opportunity to make 3 million, he could have been cut , looking at Vet minimum from some other team