June 1 has finally arrived for the New York Jets. The turn in the calendar will bring something of a celebration for the franchise.
They are about to receive some major cap relief.
When general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn opted to release both Aaron Rodgers and C.J. Mosley, they knew they would get some late cap relief as part of their post-June 1 designations.
How much relief did they get? What should New York do with their added flexibility?
We’ll address those Jets salary questions here today.
Jets’ Improved Cap Situation
From the releases of Rodgers and Mosley, the Jets received an extra $13.5 million in salary cap space on June 1, more than double any other team in the NFL.
According to Over The Cap, the team currently stands at $36.8 million in space, fourth-most in the NFL.
- Patriots ($67.3 million)
- 49ers ($53.5 million)
- Lions ($40.2 million)
- Jets ($36.8 million)
- Raiders ($36.2 million)
This always seemed like the right situation for New York. They wanted to move on from Rodgers, and by releasing him with a post-June 1 designation, they spread his $49 million dead cap over the next two years ($14 million in 2025, $35 million in 2026). Mosley, meanwhile, is owed $8.8 million in 2025 and $7.7 million in 2026, totaling $16.5 million.
That means New York’s cap relief comes at a perfect time.
There are many different ways the Jets can spend the newly freed money.
Extend Young Stars
This almost seems like a no-brainer for New York. Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner are two players in need of contract extensions. Any extra cash to dish out in the early years will be helpful.
There is still a strong belief that both Wilson and Gardner will be extended this offseason. As ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler told Jets X-Factor’s Connor Long, the Jets have made initial contract offers to the two young stars.
The team could also look to lock up Jermaine Johnson and Breece Hall to long-term deals, although those seem more unlikely.
Whatever the case, an extra $13 million will certainly help Mougey in negotiations with some of the team’s better players.
Address Key Holes on Roster
Instead of locking up their young talent this offseason, Mougey and the Jets may want to try and add some more talent to the roster.
An extra $13 million will help.
New York still has some obvious roster needs, including wide receiver, edge rusher, tight end, and even safety. All of these positions could welcome an infusion of talent, even if it’s just a short-term veteran presence.
There are also plenty of veteran stars still available at those positions, like receiver Amari Cooper or edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, who could be impactful on New York’s roster in 2025.
Push Off To 2026
Just because the Jets have an increase in salary cap space, it does not mean they have to do anything with it in 2025. Mougey and Glenn have both talked about building the team in the right ways.
That usually means not spending big money on players who have not produced for them in their roles yet.
New York could simply hold onto the salary cap space and push it off to the 2026 offseason, a time when there should be better free agents and the Jets would have more information on some of their younger stars.
It would also give them flexibility to extend additional players like edge rusher Will McDonald and center Joe Tippmann.
The Jets can do a lot of different things with their new cap space. That is why the team opted to move on from Rodgers and Mosley.
Only time will tell which direction they want to go in, though.
