Jets could rework contracts of highly paid players

The Jets were recently able to create an impressive $12.7M of cap space by reworking defensive end Carl Lawson‘s contract. The team may not be done there, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, as there are a few more veterans with lofty salaries in 2023.

After reducing Lawson’s cap hit for the year, five Jets have cap hits worth more than $10M for the upcoming season: linebacker C.J. Mosley ($21.48M), left tackle Duane Brown ($11.28M), wide receiver Corey Davis ($11.17M), left guard Laken Tomlinson ($10.88M), and safety Jordan Whitehead ($10.23M).

Mosley, Brown and Davis make the most sense for potential further restructures, not just because they have the highest cap hits, but also because they all have salaries over $9M next season. Mosley has the highest base salary for 2023 at $17M, while Davis is at $10.5M and Brown is at $9M. The bigger base salary gives them a larger amount that they are able to convert into a signing bonus in order to reduce salary-cap numbers.

Here are a few more rumors concerning Gang Green:

• Another player with a high salary and cap hit, as his fifth-year option gives him an amount for both of $9.59M, Quinnen Williams has been the source of much stress for New York. While head coach Robert Saleh is fairly unconcerned about the situation, expecting a deal to get done, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN, the drama was only exacerbated with Williams made an adjustment to his Twitter bio earlier this week. He wrote, “Defensive tackle for ……………….” Many around the league are worried the situation could devolve into one resembling that of Jamal Adams, who general manager Joe Douglas had planned to make a “Jet for life” before trading him to Seattle weeks later.
• New York signed former Packer Billy Turner earlier this month to help solidify their depth at offensive tackle. Thanks to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, we’ve got a few more details on the deal. The one-year contract has a base salary of only $1.35M with $1M of it guaranteed. Turner can more than double that amount if he ends up active and playing next year. He’ll receive a per-game active roster bonus of $17,647 for a potential season total of $300K. The deal also includes a playing time incentive that will pay him $1.5M if he plays 75 percent or more of the team’s offensive snaps.