FLORHAM PARK, NJ — A look at what’s happening around the New York Jets:
1. The real capper: The NFL salary cap can create some weird situations. Example: The Jets paid Geno Smith $3.3 million to be their starter and Justin Fields $8 million to be the backup for the Kansas City Chiefs.
It’s wrong. And it’s not the fact that Fields and Aaron Rodgers, their starters of the last two days, ate $48 million in cap space (about 16%) because of “dead” cases.
Although accounting does not look good on paper, it is important to take a broader view of the situation. It hasn’t stopped the Jets from being moderately aggressive this offseason — they’re 11th in team spending, per Spotrac. They also operate with the knowledge that clear skies lie ahead.
We’re talking over $150 million in cap space for 2027, which will allow them to be big players next season. If a quality player is available in a trade, the Jets, with three 2027 first-round picks and oodles of cap space, will be able to move on. That goes for any position, including quarterback.
It’s all part of a plan carefully crafted by general manager Darren Mougey, who inherited Rodgers’ contract and a few other unmanageable contracts (Allen Lazard, anyone?). This explains, in part, the big dead money this year — $104 million, third highest in the league, according to Spotrac.
Part of that is the hit for Fields ($20 million), which resulted from Monday’s trade with the Chiefs for a 2027 sixth-round pick. It would have cost $23 million to keep him on the roster, but there was no chance of that happening after 2025’s poor performance.
The Jets ended up eating most of Fields’ $10 million guaranteed through 2026, which was needed to facilitate a trade. Basically, Mougey managed to make a bad situation a little worse.
It may seem like a waste of money, but it’s a pittance compared to what the Miami Dolphins ($99 million) and Arizona Cardinals ($54 million) have for Tua Tagovailoa and Kyler Murray, respectively. As part of a growing trend, teams are more willing than ever to eat big contracts.
2. Savings plan: The Fields trade means the Jets need a veteran backup to Smith. Carson Wentz and Andy Dalton, both linked to the opening because of their relationship with new offensive coordinator Frank Reich, are now off the board. Wentz re-signed with the Minnesota Vikings; Dalton was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The options are limited. One of them re-signed Tyrod Taylor. He will work well with Smith — they have a good relationship — but the concern for Taylor, 36, is that he is prone to injuries. Another option is Cooper Rush, 32, who was recently cut by the Baltimore Ravens. Other free agents include Joe Flacco and Russell Wilson.
You can never stop trading — Mougey has traded 12 players since last year — but the asking prices remain high.
3. Traveler: Fields is one of seven quarterbacks since 1950 to start the season opener for three different teams in three consecutive seasons. He’ll be in line to be the starting four/four, according to Elias Sports, if Patrick Mahomes doesn’t return from his Week 1 knee injury.
The Chiefs and Jets are scheduled to play in Kansas City. A revenge game on the horizon?
4. Must be Ty-ed: One of the hotly debated draft topics is the Ty Simpson question.
Should the Jets, in search of a long-term solution at quarterback, select the former Alabama star at No. 16 in general?
ESPN senior analyst Mel Kiper Jr. he has the Jets taking Simpson in his latest mock draft. He cited two reasons: They could release him, let him sit a year after Smith. There’s no guarantee, even three first-round picks, they’ll get one of the top quarterbacks in what’s expected to be a loaded 2027 draft.
“This idea that next year they’re going to get Arch Manning or Dante Moore. Who knows if they’re going to get it or not?” Kiper said on the national conference call.
Kiper floated the idea of the Jets doing what the New York Giants did last year with Jaxson Dart: trading up to the end of the first round. The Jets, ranked 33rd, can easily do that. The question is whether Simpson, who has only 15 college starts, is worth that kind of commitment.
Recent history suggests no.
Since 2011, six first-round quarterbacks younger than 17 in college have not made it to the NFL: Jake Locker (12), Christian Ponder (12), Anthony Richardson Sr. (13), Mitchell Trubisky (13), Blaine Gabbert (13) and Dwayne Haskins (14). The exception was Cam Newton (14), the 2015 NFL MVP.
It would seem counterintuitive for Mougey, who has a long-term plan, to take a quarterback with a flashy resume in a young quarterback class.
0:57
Why Louis Riddick rates Ty Simpson so highly
Louis Riddick laments why he thinks Ty Simpson has earned a spot as a top 15 pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
5. Free agent update: Busy offseason so far. The latest signing count includes eight free agents ($70 million in guarantees) and seven free agents ($7 million). Eight of the free agents went to other teams ($60 million), and they still have nine unsigned agents, mostly Taylor.
6. Bookkeeping: Wide receiver Garrett Wilson has ongoing guarantees built into the four-year, $130 million extension he signed last July, and his 2027 contract ($24.5 million) was fully guaranteed earlier this week. Previously, it was only insured for injuries.
7. Man of Steel: Middle linebacker Demario Davis, 37, is a surprise. He plays one of the most demanding positions in the sport, yet has missed only one game due to injury in 14 years — 2024, with a strained hamstring.
He missed one game in 2021 due to COVID-19, but the man has recorded more than 1,000 defensive snaps over the past six seasons.
“I think I have an amazing team that works for me all year,” said Davis, who signed a two-year, $22 million contract as a free agent. “It’s almost like a car. Once it’s off the track, it’s sitting in the garage, it’s being worked on.”
8. Ball magnet: Nahshon Wright is an interesting story. Traded by the Dallas Cowboys, cut twice by the Vikings, the cornerback stayed with the Chicago Bears through 2025 and delivered a Pro Bowl season on a minimum-salary contract. In fact, he became just the fourth player in the last 10 years with five tackles and at least two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in a season.
All that after managing one interception and zero forced fumbles and fumble recoveries in his first four seasons combined.
Late bloomer or one year wonder?
The free agent market apparently thought it was the latter. The Jets got him a bargain (one year, $3.5 million) — with little risk. It certainly speaks of necessity; Wright had five more interceptions than the entire Jets team last season.
For his efforts, he earned a top salary of $1.4 million — a bonus program designed to reward low-paid players.
9. Draft pick update: Mougey has done so much wheeling and dealing that it’s hard to keep track of the Jets draft. Their current 2026 draft looks like this: Round 1 (2nd and 16th overall); Round 2 (33 and 44); Round 4 (103 and 140); Round 5 (179) and 7 (228 and 242).
In case you’re wondering, their third round pick went to the Eagles in the famous Haason Reddick trade in 2024.
10. Hall of honor: Former longtime special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff will be honored June 24-25 in Canton, Ohio, where he will receive the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Outstanding Achievement Award. The “Beauty” Awards, created in 2022, recognize important contributors to the sport.
Westhoff told ESPN that he “couldn’t be happier or prouder” of the recognition. Many of his former players will attend the celebrations. One of them, Westhoff said, started crying on the phone when he gave them the news. Westhoff, 78, loved by his players, was a great coach who spent most of his career with the Jets and Dolphins.
