The Aaron Rodgers saga is almost over. Once the 2026 season ends, the ordeal can be completely behind us.

As Adam Schefter first reported, the Jets have traded Justin Fields to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2027 sixth-round pick.

It’s a little shocking that the Jets were able to get a trade done and didn’t have to release him, but taking on $7 million of the $10 million of his guarantee helped facilitate the deal.

The Jets will take on $19 million in dead cap in 2026 for the trade.

Now let’s take a look at the total bill, through the end of the 2026 season, for the New York Jets.

Aaron Rodgers $75,050,000
Justin Fields $27,000,000
Allen Lazard $22,000,000
Davante Adams $11,590,000
Geno Smith $3,300,000

That totals $138,940,000.

These are the players that were acquired by the Jets as a direct result of the Rodgers trade, or the idea of its potential. Lazard’s trade probably bolstered the desire for Rodgers to be traded to the Jets.

The Jets, outside of the first-round pick swap, also traded 2023 second-round and sixth-round picks and a 2024 second-round pick for Rodgers, and they traded a 2025 third-round pick for Davante Adams.

As a result of moving on from Rodgers, Fields, Lazard, and Adams, the Jets also lost $84,811,726 in cap space in the last two seasons.

All in all, it was one of the worst trades in Jets history.

New contract information

The contracts of two recently acquired players have become available. Let’s take a look at their impacts on 2026 and beyond.

Minkah Fitzpatrick

Total Value: 3 years, $40 million, $20.5 million guaranteed.

Base salaries: $5.5 million (2026), $13 million (2027), $12.5 million
Signing Bonus: $7.5 million
Per-Game Roster Bonus: $500k annually

Explanation of 2026 cap charge

In 2026, Fitzpatrick will cost $7,411,765 against the salary cap. That consists of his base salary, 1/5 of his signing bonus (two void years), and $411,765 of his $500k per-game roster bonus.

The Jets are only responsible for 14/17 of his roster bonus in 2026, because he was inactive for three games in 2025. If he’s active for more than 14 games in 2026, there will be a cap adjustment for each additional game not charged in 2027. For anything under 14 games, they receive a credit.

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Kingsley Enagbare

Total Value: 1 year, $9 million, $8.49 million guaranteed

2026 Base salary: $3.49 million
Signing Bonus: $5 million
Per-Game Roster Bonus: $510k

Explanation of 2026 cap charge

The Jets are responsible for most of the money in 2026. They added four void years to the contract to take on $4 million in dead cap in 2027. Since Enagbare was active for the entire season in 2026. That means the Jets are responsible for all of the per-game roster bonus. However, they will receive a credit for any games he’s inactive.

While Enagbare does have a deadcap charge of $4 million in 2027, it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. He’s entering his age-26 season, and still has room to grow. The Jets don’t have to let the contract void. The void years can become real years with an extension, if they choose to do that.

2026 Week 1 Cap Projection

Here’s a look at where I think the team will stand with the initial 53-man roster. In this projection, there are still three roster spots open.

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The Jets and Breece Hall are currently in talks for a contract extension, and they should do whatever it takes to keep him.

According to Zach Rosenblatt of The Athletic, “talks are ongoing”. Also, the Jets are expected to use the transition tag to keep Hall a Jet, and that would allow the Jets to match any offer sheet for Hall. Finally, Rosenblatt wrote,

The Jets would like to sign Hall to a multi-year deal and league sources believe that number would come in somewhere between the transition and franchise values on a per-year basis.

Since it’s between the transition tag and the franchise tag, I used $12.5 million per year as the AAV for the paper value of the contract.

Let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of the deal I think they should propose.

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First off, it’s three years, $37.5 million in paper value.

Second, the cash value for 2026 is the transition tag amount ($11,323,000). He also gets an additional $3.677 million in guarantees in 2027 to bring the total guarantee at signing to $15 million.

With this deal, the Jets would effectively have a $10 million team option for 2027, but, unless something goes completely off the rails in 2026, they’d exercise it, bringing the total guarantees through 2027 up to $25 million.

The final max value of $12.5 million is guaranteed on the fifth day of 2028, when a $2 million roster bonus is due.

Here’s how that would look on paper.

Here’s how this contract would stack up in terms of rankings among running backs:

Total Compensation: 4th
AAV: 5th
Total Guarantees: T-5th
Full Guarantees: 11th

This contract would provide good value in comparison to the running backs around the NFL, and it’s actually a win-win for both sides.

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As we embark on a new season, let’s dive into the parts of an NFL contract and their impacts on a cap charge during the 2026-27 NFL calendar year.

First and foremost, let’s talk about what a cap charge is. A cap charge is what a particular team is being charged for a particular player based on the component of his contract. Every dollar a team spends on a player will count eventually as part of a cap charge, but not necessarily in the year spent.

Paragraph 5 Salary

In a standard NFL contract, the base salary, or the salary the players are paid specifically for the games, is located in the fifth paragraph. This salary counts in full for the team for the season (unless the player is traded or cut).

Prorated Bonus

There are two different prorated bonuses: signing and option. These bonuses are lump sum payments to a player that are prorated for the life of the contract for a maximum of five seasons. So, a five-year contract that has a prorated bonus of $25 million has it count for $5 million per season. If a player is cut or traded, the remaining proration is accelerated based on when the transaction takes place.

Roster/Workout Bonus

These are lump sum payments for being on the roster on a certain date or participating in a certain percentage of the offseason program. These count in full in the season in which they are scheduled to be earned. If a player is cut or traded before earning it, there’s no penalty to the team.

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Per-Game Roster Bonus

A per-game roster bonus is a bonus added to a game check for being on the active roster for a game during the regular season. For instance, if a player has a per-game roster bonus of $1 million, if he’s active for all 17 games, he will receive an addition $1 million of salary for the season.

Incentives

These are additional pay for reaching certain individual and team milestones.

Likely/Not Likely to be Earned

This is another point where the cap isn’t necessarily about money earned in that particular season. Per-game roster bonuses and incentives are either likely to be earned or not likely to be earned.

If they were earned the season prior, they are deemed likely to be earned, and if not, they are deemed not likely to be earned.

LTBE incentives either count in full on a particular season or don’t count at all. Per-game roster bonuses can partially count against the cap.

Looking at the $1 million example from before:
Let’s say a player was active for 15 games the prior season and has that per-game roster bonus. The $1 million would not completely count against the cap. 15 games would be LTBE, and two games would be NLTBE. So, the 15 LTBE games would count against the cap that season, and two would not.

If the player is active in more or fewer than 15 games, any additional spending would be accounted for in an adjustment to the following season’s cap. Fewer than 15 games would result in a credit, while more would lead to losing cap space.

In the end, every dollar spent on a player counts against the cap at some point, and all cap dollars that are accounted for that aren’t spent do get debited back to the cap space. The NFL salary cap is just an accounting tool for a particular season. It’s not the cash spent in a particular season.

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If the Jets were to trade for A’Shawn Robinson, he’d require, at minimum, a maximum restructure for his contract.

Joe Person, who covers the Carolina Panthers for The Athletic, had this to say about Robinson.

This prompted Dom Cutri of Jets X-Factor to respond with this quote-post:

Here are the mechanics of that trade from a cap standpoint.

Panthers: take on $2,055,000 in dead cap charge for 2026

Jets: take on a $10.5 million cap charge for Robinson

The Jets do have to spend $240,771,025 in cash this season to be compliant with the CBA.

Article 12, Section 9, part b:

For each of the following multi-League-Year periods 2021–2023 (three League Years), 2024–2026 (three League Years), and 2027–2030 (four League Years), there shall be a guaranteed Minimum Team Cash Spending of 90% of the Salary Caps for such periods.

However, taking on that entire $10.5 million cap charge in 2026 would not be prudent. So, if the Jets were to trade for him, the minimum they should consider is a maximum restructure by converting his 2026 salary into base + signing bonus with four void years.

Right now, Robinson is due this:

Base salary: $7.635 million (non-guaranteed)
Per-Game Roster Bonus: $765k
Workout Bonus: $100k
Incentives: $2 million (LTBE)
Total Cap Charge: $10.5 million

There are several ways to attack a maximum restructure for Robinson. You could incorporate the Per-Game Roster Bonus, Workout Bonus, and/or incentives into the base salary, then convert the entire $10.5 million, or they could just keep the bonuses and incentives and only convert the base salary.

If the Jets were to just do it with the base salary, here’s how it’d look:

Base salary: $1.3 million
Prorated Signing Bonus: $1.267 million
Per-Game Roster Bonus: $765k
Workout Bonus: $100k
Incentives: $2 million (LTBE)
Total Cap Charge: $5.432 million
Cap Savings/2027 Dead Cap Charge: $5.068 million

The Jets shouldn’t take on the entire cap charge in one season, because the dead cap charge in 2027 will be minimal.

It’s almost time to sign free agents. The new league year is upon us. So, let’s discuss the top free agents for the New York Jets, and the contracts they should offer to get the players to sign.

Malik Willis

Most teams are going to offer Willis a two-year contract. The Jets should offer him a contract with two years guaranteed and a built-in “extension” where he can earn additional guarantees based on his play in 2026. This could give them a leg up in the negotiations.

This has multiple guarantee triggers to allow him to earn a roster spot beyond the 2026 guarantee. It also gives the Jets two years to evaluate, if necessary. If he doesn’t hit the 2026 guarantee trigger, and they decide he’s their guy, they can allow the 2028 roster trigger to occur and work on an extension in 2028.

Romeo Doubs

The Jets need a WR2 to pair with Garrett Wilson, and many want them to draft someone early. Doubs provides them with a solid #2, and someone who can be a blocker in a run-heavy scheme.

This contract provides the Jets with a three-year window plus they could extend him later with the void years, providing a potential baseline for the number of years.

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Tyler Linderbaum

Linderbaum is expected to hit the free agent market, since the Ravens won’t use the franchise or transition tag on him. The Jets could use a long-term answer at starting center, and they’ve gone the free agency route before and helped turn the franchise around — while current head coach Aaron Glenn played for the team.

Leo Chenal

Chenal is a rising talent at linebacker in the NFL. The Chiefs seem destined to lose the linebacker, and Spotrac has his market value $4.6 million.

That said, the Jets should go all-in on him and pair him with Jamien Sherwood for $7 million per season. Given his nature as an ascending player still, it’s very similar to Quincy Williams. So, he could be a cheap long-term player for the Jets if he hits

Trey Hendrickson

It’s best to typically find your edge rusher in the first round, but safety is also a position that transitions better to the NFL immediately. Luckily, the Jets have two first-round picks.

Hendrickson can be a stop-gap at edge, and the Jets could also continue to see what they have in Will McDonald IV and Jermaine Johnson, while developing a top draft pick at edge.

He’s 31 years old, and coming off an injury, so he might not be a long-term solution. However, given his talent, he’s going to command dollars in free agency.

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A post-June 1 designation is something that allows teams to release players immediately, and gain cap space on June 2, but it’s often misunderstood, and I will go over the cap mechanics in this article.

First and foremost, the cap is widely misunderstood. The cap charge for a player is not the cash a team is spending on a player. The cap charge is based on both the cash that a team has spent on a player and expected to spend that season on a player, not necessarily what the team will.

Secondly, a signing bonus and/or option bonus is prorated over the life of the contract, even though it’s paid out in a lump sum. So, if a player has a $25 million signing bonus in year one and a $15 million option bonus in year two, he’s actually been paid $40 million in those two seasons.

For the sake of this example, let’s say the contract is a four-year deal with two void years on it and no guaranteed money beyond year two. That means the contract has four real years and two dummy years. The $25 million would be spread over the first five years of the contract on the cap charges, and the $15 million would be spread from years 2-6. That means, year one would have $5 million in proration, years 2-5 would each have $8 million, and year 6 would have $3 million.

If the player were to be released in either year 3 or 4 of the contract, the remaining bonus money would normally accelerate into the year of the release. The reason for the dead cap charge is that the team already paid the prorated bonuses, but they have yet to be counted against the cap.

A year 3 release would result in a dead cap charge of $27 million. Year 4 would be $19 million.

When June 2 rolls around, teams are only responsible for that year’s cap dollars. So, if a player is released on or after June 2 (or before with a post-June 1 designation), the team would only be responsible for that year’s cap dollars and the rest the following season.

In this example, if the player was released on the first day of the league year, he immediately becomes a free agent. Let’s say it’s year 3, and the team applies the post-June 1 designation. He’s immediately a free agent, but he’s on the books for the full dead cap charge until June 2.

On June 2, this player would then convert to a release that only counts $8 million against the cap, and the remaining $19 million would count in year 4.

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Let’s use a real-life example for the Jets.

Justin Fields signed a contract for $40 million last season, with $15 million of it in a signing bonus, plus $10 million of his $20 million base salary is fully guaranteed in 2026.

Since he has $12 million in proration, he has $22 million in dead cap charges if the Jets release him in 2026. If they release him on March 11, the start of the league year, he will count $22 million against the cap. If they use the post-June 1 designation, from March 11 through June 1, his dead cap charge is $22 million. On June 2, it becomes $13 million — $10 million for the guarantee, which they will still pay him this season, and $3 million of the $12 million in proration left. The remaining $9 million in proration transfers to the 2027 cap.

Releasing Justin Fields with a post-June 1 designation doesn’t help the Jets gain any cap space for free agency.

In the end, a post-June 1 release spreads out the responsibility over two seasons, with the first season being just the first season, and the rest being accelerated into the year following the release.

The Seattle Seahawks are Super Bowl champions again, and they proved to the world — and the Jets — that you don’t need a “franchise” quarterback to win.

The term franchise quarterback is used very often when describing some of the best in the league. The problem is that the term is often used to describe a quarterback who carries the franchise and eventually commands a top-dollar and cap-cripling contract.

Sure, there are going to be some quarterbacks out there that will always be like that. The problem is when the media and fans focus so hard on not having one, and organizations build their entire philosophy around having one, they miss the plot.

In this era of pass-first offense, we’ve focused too much on quarterbacks, quarterback wins, and “quarterbacks winning” the Super Bowl. In their three Super Bowl appearance in the last two decades, the Seahawks won with good quarterback play, a great running game, and an elite defense. That’s how the Jets got to back-to-back AFC Championship Games as well.

Despite winning the Super Bowl, Sam Darnold won’t be able to command the top-QB dollars we’ve come to know because his performance, while good, was predicated on having the running game and defense to help him.

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Many fans are apprehensive about the Jets signing Malik Willis, because he has a small sample size in Green Bay. Additionally, many fans want the “bridge quarterback” so the Jets can find their “franchise quarterback” in the draft. If a team keeps looking for the “franchise quarterback,” which generally means superstar in today’s NFL, they may never find him.

The Jets have an opportunity to get their long-term answer at quarterback and to stop searching for the “franchise quarterback”. They must go all-out to try and land him.

Build the running game and defense to help him reach his ceiling. It’s not about just the passing game, but the whole team.

Current Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown is likely on the move, and the Jets should be in the mix for a trade for the wide receiver.

Recently, Matt Lombrado wrote a column on the three moves the Jets should make to go from last place to the playoffs in 2026.

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3 months ago · 2 comments · Matt Lombardo

The move for A.J. Brown definitely got my wheels turning. Garrett Wilson needs a complementary WR, and A.J. Brown would be the perfect complement.

The structure of A.J. Brown’s current contract is as follows:

2026
Base salary: $1.3 million
Option Bonus: $27.45 million
Workout Bonus: $250k
Total Cap Charge: $7,040,000

2027
Base salary: $1.345 million
Option Bonus: $19.405 million
Workout Bonus: $250k
Total Cap Charge: $10,966,000

2028
Base salary: $1.39 million
Option Bonus: $29.36 million
Roster Bonus: $1 million
Workout Bonus: $250k
Total Cap Charge: $17,883,000

2029
Base salary: $1.435 million
Option Bonus: $28.315 million
Roster Bonus: $1 million
Workout Bonus: $250k
Total Cap Charge: $23,591,000

2030
Dead Cap Charge (Voids): $53,335,000

The 2026 compensation would be fully guaranteed. After 2026, nothing is guaranteed. Here’s the dead cap schedule, if he’s released before the contract voids.

2027: $21.96 million
2028: $31.994 million
2029: $43.711 million

At any point in the four years, the Jets could turn Brown’s void years into real ones and give him an extension.

In that case, they’d probably re-work the contract to guarantee some of the options left. In fact, if they were to trade for Brown, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they guaranteed 2027 and/or 2028 after the trade. Also, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they immediately offered him a two-year contract extension to reduce the void years; he’d only be 34 at the end of that contract, and the dead cap charge would be $17,013,000.

From a cap standpoint, it’s completely doable for the Jets, especially with the big cap charges not coming until 2030-31. If the No. 16 pick is enough to land Brown, it should be a slam dunk move for Gang Green.

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The Jets must pull out all of the stops to land free agent quarterback Malik Willis. He’s young enough with upside.

So many Jets fans are focused on the NFL Draft and who the Jets will land with the second overall pick. The fact of the matter is that it should be secondary to free agency. The Jets should only be thinking about drafting a quarterback as a pivot off of missing on Willis.

Let’s dive into the steps for landing Willis as a free agent.

Pry Ken Dorsey Away from the Cowboys

Ken Dorsey is currently the Passing Game Specialist for the Dallas Cowboys. Moving from PGS to Quarterbacks Coach/Passing Game Coordinator would be a promotion, and the Dallas Cowboys would not be permitted to block Dorsey from interviewing with the Jets.

In his last two stops as a quarterbacks coach, Dorsey helped two mobile quarterbacks develop into top-tier quarterbacks of their time: Cam Newton and Josh Allen.

In his time in Carolina, from 2013-17, Dorsey helped Newton to his best statistical season and win an MVP. In 2015, the Panther won the AFC South, went to the Super Bowl, Newton won NFL MVP, and he had approximately a 3.2:1 touchdown to turnover ratio, the best of his career.

In Buffalo, we saw the rise of Allen under the tutelage of Dorsey. Anyone who covers the Bills will tell you that Dorsey had a huge hand in the growth of Allen as a player, spending time away from the facility together during the offseasons to work on fundamentals. In 2022, when they added passing game coordinator to Dorsey’s plate, Josh Allen rose to third in the league in passing touchdown rate.

While Allen and Newton are different styles of running quarterbacks (power vs. speed) than Willis is, Willis is still a mobile quarterback with tools as a passer. Bringing in Dorsey as the quarterbacks coach should lend credibility to the Jets situation.

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The Godfather Prove It Deal

Risks are sometimes necessary, and in the case of this, the Jets need a quarterback. So, the Jets need to try and figure out a deal where Willis can’t say no. Make him an offer he can’t refuse.

They gave Justin Fields a contract for 2 years, $40 million with $30 million guaranteed this past offseason. That’s a likely baseline for Willis.

Given the guaranteed money in the Fields contract, that’s the starting point. So, the Jets should offer him $35 million guaranteed. They should offer him a 2-year contract for a max value of $65 million.

If the Jets do this, it’s the best way to land Willis.

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The New York Jets must be aggressive when it comes to signing free agents in 2026, even if that means overpaying — which is typical in free agency anyway.

Growth is the word of the NFL calendar year for the New York Jets in 2026-27, which begins at 4 PM Eastern on March 11. They must show they’re moving in the right direction in 2026. That doesn’t necessarily mean making the playoffs, which is unlikely, unless many things go right.

Many people will say, “Build through the draft, not free agency.” While that is a good core tenet, that doesn’t actually work because there are too few draft picks.

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The Jets are going to have to do what they can to land free agents. According to Matt Lombardo, one agent believes the Jets can do just that.

According to the agent,

Another agent said,

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4 months ago · 8 likes · 2 comments · Matt Lombardo

To paraphrase the two, the Jets do have a chance to land free agents if they pursue them, and that money talks.

Right now, if you factor in the following roster cuts: Justin Fields, Braiden McGregor, Tyler Baron, Gus Hartwig, Tre Brown, Christopher Smith, Eric Watts, Keidron Smith, Jarius Monroe, Dean Clark, Jordan Clark, Brady Cook, Payton Page, Marquis Hayes, and Quentin Skinner, the Jets would have $107,350,360 in cap space some of which does needs to be saved as an in-season buffer.

They will need to save some of that cap space for the following:

1. Draft picks who make the 53-man roster

2. Draft picks and UDFA with guarantees that don’t make the 53-man roster

3. Veteran free agents with dead money that don’t make the 53-man roster

4. In-season moves

A reasonable conservative buffer would be $30 million to cover all of this. That means they can allocate $77,350,360 to free agency spending.

That’s plenty of cap space to be aggressive and target some top players — just to name a few: Breece Hall, Tyler Linderbaum, Isaiah Likely, Quay Walker.

The Jets will have the cap space to make moves. It’s up to Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn to convince players to come here and that their plan will work. Time will tell if they can, and if they can’t, the Jets will be looking for a new head coach in 2027, and possibly a new GM.

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The biggest story for the Jets in 2026 is whether or not they will find their quarterback or if it will have to wait until 2027. The problem for Aaron Glenn — and possibly Darren Mougey — is that they also need to show they can win games as well. They should make signing Malik Willis a priority.

In the last podcast episode, we discussed a potential “long-term” contract with triggers that turn a one-year deal into effectively a five-year deal — with an out after four. However, that contract may not be enough to land Willis.

Recently, Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com has this to say:

The Jets effectively signed Justin Fields to a two-year, $30 million contract in 2025, as he’s likely to be released this offseason. (It was a $40 million contract in total, but only $30 million guaranteed.)

So, what would the Jets likely need to guarantee Willis?

Well, given his lack of experience, albeit with a good showing so far, I think he could warrant in the $45-$50 million range.

He’s only played in 548 snaps. So, the small sample size usually wouldn’t justify such a large contract. However, with the dearth of quarterbacks in the league, it will cause a supply and demand issue, especially if people think his strong showing is a sign of growth and the ability to be a starting quarterback.

In limited action with the Packers, Willis has shown an ability to be accurate and mobile. Also, he has shown arm strength to make all the necessary NFL throws.

If the Jets were to be able to sign Willis and current Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely, along with re-signing Breece Hall, with Mason Taylor and Garrett Wilson on the roster, that group would be formidable.

Sam Darnold received a 3-year, $100.5 million deal from Seattle after showing he turned his career around in Minnesota. His 2026 base salary and signing bonus plus his workout bonus — a total of $37.5 million — are guaranteed. Additionally, if he’s on the Seahawks roster on February 13, his $15 million roster bonus plus $2.5 million of his base salary ($12.3 million) is guaranteed.

Having less of a sample size than Darnold, plus showing the same skill set as Fields, may warrant a contract between Fields and Darnold, in terms of guarantees. When you look at both the Fields and Darnold contracts, it would make sense to sign Willis to a three-year deal.

Willis will be entering his age-27 season in 2026. That has to play a little bit of a factor as well, because if he ends up being the guy for the Jets, it could mean only this contract plus a reasonable extension.

So, here’s how it should shake out from a cash standpoint.

Terms: 3 years, $90 million
2026: $25 million (max)
Base salary (fully guaranteed at signing)
Singing Bonus: $18,785,000 (fully guaranteed at signing)
Incentive Schedule:
95% of team snaps (per game): $147,058 Weeks 1-17, $147,072 Week 18
90% team snaps (season) + Team improvement in wins and total offense: $2,500,000
Earned incentives trigger the P5 Salary full guarantee.

2027: $25 million
Base salary: fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the waiver period if incentives are not earned
Roster Bonus: fully guaranteed at signing

2028: $40 million
Roster Bonus pay: fifth day of league year

If it doesn’t work out for Willis, and they were in a situation where they released Willis before the Roster Bonus kicks in, then the Jets would have $30,028,000 in dead cap charges in 2027 or 2027-28. A post June-1 designation would mean the Jets are responsible for $18,757,000 in 2027 and $11,271,000 in 2028. The entire $28,757,000 cap charge would stay on the books until June 2.

The Jets would have a two-year window to evaluate Willis if he shows even more growth in 2026.

If Willis proves to be the guy, he will be entering his age-30 season in 2028. At that point, what the Jets would do is sign an extension in 2028 by converting the $40 million base salary + roster bonus to minimum P5 salary + prorated signing bonus, a second season with minimum P5 + option bonus, a third guaranteed season, and an early trigger for 2031.

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In February, we will have a new salary cap number for the league, and each team will have its own cap number. Let’s discuss how the team adjusted salary cap is calculated for each team.

Salary Cap Calculation

The league has a base salary cap starting point for each league year. Per the CBA, there are “Revenue buckets” from the “AR”. Section 12 of the CBA defines AR.

The three AR buckets used for the calculation of the league salary cap are League Media AR, NFL Ventures/Postseason AR, and Local AR. The league media AR are the media rights contracts for the NFL.

NFL Ventures/Posteseason AR are as follows, per the CBA:

NFL Ventures/Postseason AR shall consist of: (A) revenues (other than those described in Subsection (i) above) arising from the operation of postseason NFL games received or to be received by the NFL or NFL affiliates (as opposed to by Club or Club Affiliates); and (B) revenues (other than those described 95 in Subsection (i) above) arising from operation of NFL-affiliated entities (including without limitation NFL Ventures, NFL Network, NFL Properties, NFL Enterprises, NFL Productions, and NFL Digital (including NFL.com and NFL Mobile)). For the avoidance of doubt, revenues in this category include without limitation: (1) all revenues of NFL Network, including those related to the broadcast, telecast or distribution of live NFL games and the RedZone channel; and (2) the revenues of NFL Ventures/NFL Digital from the agreement with Verizon (other than as described above); the revenues of NFL Ventures/NFL Digital from the Game Pass product (to the extent that it only distributes out-of-market games); the revenues from NFL Ventures/NFL Films from the NFL Films agreement with ESPN; in each of the cases listed after (2) above, as such agreements existed as of the 2019 League Year.

Local AR is anything made by the team, not including the TV/Radio contracts by the NFL. So, ticket sales, parking, merchandise, concessions, and other revenue streams.

Then there’s the Joint Contribution Amount. Each team contributes 1/32 of a set amount, defined by the CBA. The money goes to current and former player benefits, medical research, and charities.

The cap calculation is as follows: 55% of the projected league media AR + 45% of league ventures and postseason AR + 40% of local AR + adjustments made based on projected projected AR that’s higher than the projection - 47.5% of the Joint Contribution Amount

The media kicker was included, which meant the calculation had to be 48.8% of the league revenue.

Team Adjusted Salary Cap

Every team doesn’t have the same salary cap number. Adjustments are made to the league cap to get a team cap each season. Unused cap from the previous season and unearned likely to be earned incentives and per-game roster bonuses are added to the league cap. Whereas, earned not likely to be earned incentives and per-game roster bonuses are subtracted.

If a grievance was heard for a contract and there was an adjustment made as a result, any paid or lost money is factored in during the adjustment period. Also, any contract insurance payments made give the team back money in cap space.

After all of that accounting is done for each team, the final number is how much in cap charges the team can accrue during that season.

No NFL team is permitted to go over the salary cap, and penalties do result for going over. The penalties include: fines (up to $5 million), lost draft picks, and voided player contracts.

This is why, while it’s an important number in determining value compared to the rest of the league, AAV is overrated in terms of the cap. The structure of the contract is more important than anything, because players either get released, restructured, extended, or have contracts re-worked before the end of most contracts.

In the end, the salary cap is based on the cap charges in a season, not cash spending.

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The Jets signed Jeremy Ruckert to a two-year, $10 million extension last week. Let’s take a look at how it breaks down.

New Cash

2025: $3 million
2026: $2.25 million ($1.74 million base salary, $30k per game active roster bonus)
2027: $4.75 million ($4.24 million base salary, $30k per game active roster bonus)

There are also $1 million in incentives available for Ruckery. The specific details are not available yet, but are probably not likely to be earned in 2026.

Cap Hits

2025: $2,605,197 (up $1 million)
2026: $3.25 million
2027: $5.75 million

His $1.74 million base salary is fully guaranteed in 2026. That makes his dead cap charge either $3.74 million or $2.74 million (post-June 1). So, unless things go really badly and he’s beat out in camp, he’s going to be on the roster in 2026.

Just a hypothesis here, but if his incentives are $500k in each season, and he earns all of them, if the Jets were to cut him in 2027, they’d lose a total of $1.5 million in cap space: $500k in an adjustment and $1 million in dead cap.

This is a very good deal for the Jets, despite his performance today.

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When the offseason comes, the New York Jets need to offer the free agent to be what I would consider the ultimate long-term prove-it deal.

In a previous article, I discussed signing Malik Willis to a short-term deal to serve as the bridge quarterback.

What if they hedged their bets with a draft pick, signing Hendon Hooker as a short-term backup, who could turn into a starting option later, and Willis as the long-term shot in the dark instead?

Remember, NFL contracts are not necessarily about the total value, but how they’re structured. Well, the Jets could do a contract that allows Willis to be a bridge quarterback while also giving him a chance to earn a long-term deal.

Let’s look at the deal I would propose.

Financial terms: 9 years, $297 million

Cash Breakdown

2026

Base Salary: $1.215 million
Signing Bonus: $6.785 million

2027

Base Salary: $1.26 million
Roster Bonus: $8.74 million (paid on the fifth day of the league year)

2028

Base Salary: $1.305
Option Bonus: $28.695 million

2029

Base Salary: $1.435 million
Option Bonus: $33.565 million

2030

Base Salary: $1.48 million
Option Bonus: $38.520 million

2031

Base Salary: $35.5 million
Roster Bonus: $5 million

2032

Base Salary: $35.5 million
Roster Bonus: $5 million

2033

Base Salary: $40 million
Roster Bonus: $5 million

2034

Base Salary: $43 million
Roster Bonus: $5 million

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Most, if not all, of you would scoff at a long-term deal for that amount of money for Willis, because he’s got no true experience as a starter. However, the exact terms are as follows:

Fully Guaranteed Money: 2026 at signing, 2027 on the fifth day of the league year, 2028-30 on the fifth day of the 2028 waiver period
Injury Guarantee: 2027 at signing, 2028-30 on the fifth day of 2027

Here’s how it would look on paper:

Essentially, the triple option bonus — starting in 2028 — would lock Willis to the Jets for four years — five years, if the Jets don’t want to absorb a large dead cap charge.

Dead Cap Charges (Cap Savings)

2031: $62,433,000 (-$1,873,000)
2032: $42,277,000 ($18,379,000)
2033: $22,121,000 ($37,296,000)
2034: $7,704,000 ($48,000,000)

By 2031, the cap could also be around $500 million anyway. If it’s $500 million, the cap charge for Willis wouldn’t be too prohibitive if he’s still playing well. That would depend on the new CBA at that point, though.

In this “long-term” deal, there’s a prove-it window of two years, while still having the long-term deal in place the team can exercise. It also gives Willis good value based on the likelihood of where he’s at in the QB pecking order at the time of signing. The APY would rank him just below Baker Mayfield at the moment, and that’s right where he should be.

In addition, this contract lasts through his age 35 season. So, it’s security for the future as well. It’s a win-win contract for all.

Despite what many people will say and think, the NFL salary cap is not fake. It’s just malleable because of how the money is allocated each season.

We’re approaching the end of the NFL’s regular season, and soon the playoffs will begin. Once the Super Bowl ends, teams will start juggling rosters and potentially contracts. That’s when the inevitable social media post or blog post will come out about how the NFL’s cap is fake. The reason is that people don’t understand reality.

The yearly salary cap isn’t a cash limit on spending per year. If it were, there wouldn’t be any big signing bonuses or incentives. It would be just the base salary for the players.

Each year, a team has its own salary cap number, and that’s based on the base league salary cap, plus salary cap carryover from the previous season, plus or minus any adjustments made from things like incentives earned or not earned.

The final number arrived is the amount of charges a team can incur for the season. Cap charges are not cash spent in a season. It’s the combination of cash that’s guaranteed to a player, will be paid to a player, was paid to a player, and expected to be paid to a player.

Let’s look at a Jets player’s contract.

Jamien Sherwood signed a 3-year, $45 million contract with the Jets this past offseason. He’s going to make $15 million per season (not just the average).

Cash Per Year

2025: $15 million
2026: $15 million
2027: $15 million

Cap Charges

2025
Base Salary: $2.5 million
Prorated Signing Bonus: $2.5 million
Cap Charge: $5 million

2026: $11.5 million
Base Salary: $2.5 million
Prorated Signing Bonus: $2.5 million
Prorated Option Bonus: $1.5 million

2027: $19 million
Base Salary: $2.5 million
Prorated Signing Bonus: $2.5 million
Prorated Option Bonus: $1.5 million

2028: $9.5 million (void year, dead)
Prorated Signing Bonus: $5 million (two years)
Prorated Option Bonus: $4.5 million (three years)

As you can see, every dollar spent on Jamien Sherwood will count against the cap at some point. It’s just a matter of when, because the signing and option bonuses are prorated for the length of the contract (5 year maximum). Teams will add void years to push the proration into later seasons when the cap is expected to be higher, which is why you see Sherwood’s void in 2028.

This is also where the “fake” part comes in. Teams are allowed to restructure contracts. Sometimes with the player’s consent, and many times the player doesn’t have to consent.

If the restructure requires contract language to be changed, then a player must essentially sign a new contract. However, if it’s just shuffling money around — also known as a simple restructure — then it can just be done by the team.

Let’s say in 2028, the Jets were to need to make some cap space for that season, and Jamien Sherwood is still worth keeping around on the team. That $19 million cap charge can be reduced in two ways.

In a maximum restructure, the Jets would add a void year in 2031 to essentially make the contract a five-year deal. Then, they’d convert the $15 million base salary to the minimum base salary — which for Sherwood will likely be $1,260,000 — and the remainder would be a signing bonus. The addition of the void year requires Sherwood’s signature, because it’s changing the contract. Usually, players will sign because it’s upfront cash.

The remaining money that becomes a signing bonus is prorated over the five years (2027-31). So, the Jets charge would go from $19 million to $8.008 million. However, their dead cap charge in 2028 would go from $9.5 million to $20.492 million.

A simple restructure is just the shifting of the money without the added void year. So the proration would just be 2027-30. This would reduce their cap charge to $8.695 million in 2027. However, that would increase their dead cap charge in 2028 to $19.805 million.

Then, there are incentives and per-game roster bonuses, which aren’t in Sherwood’s contract, but must be discussed.

Those two line items in a contract are handled very differently from prorated signing bonuses, prorated option bonuses, base salary, roster bonuses, and workout bonuses. Base salary, roster bonuses, and workout bonuses all count in the year earned. The others are prorated evenly over a five-year maximum of the contract. Per-game roster bonuses and incentives either fall under the categories of likely to be earned or not likely to be earned.

Likely to be earned means the player either did or would have earned the contract incentive the prior season, and not likely to be earned is the opposite. An example of the would have earned part is if a player were to be traded to the Jets in the 2026 offseason, and he has incentives that include playoffs, then it would be not likely to be earned since the Jets aren’t making the playoffs, even if the team he was on made the playoffs this season.

So, let’s say, a player has a per-game roster bonus of $1.7 million ($100k per game) in his contract. If he was on the game day active roster for 14 games the prior season, the team is charged $1.4 million in cap space for that season. If he plays in fewer than 14 games that season, the team gets a cap credit of $100k per game he’s inactive. Any game above 14, the team loses $100k in cap space the following season.

For the incentives example, let’s be a little more convoluted. A player has the following incentives in his contract:
50% snaps: $250k
65% snaps: $250k
80% snaps: $250k
95% snaps: $250k
Pro Bowl: $125k
Team Playoff Wins (including first round bye): $218,750

The player gets hurt and only plays in 67% of his team’s snaps. He doesn’t get voted into the Pro Bowl, and the team misses the playoffs. If his incentives were completely NLTBE in that season, the team would have a reduction of $500k during the adjustment period, and in that season, the team would be charged $500k of LTBE incentives.

Now, let’s say that player doesn’t miss a snap in the $500k LTBE season. He also makes the Pro Bowl, and the team makes it to the conference championship and loses. He earned $1,562,500 in incentives that season, but the team was only charged $500k. So, the cap would be adjusted the following season by $1,062,500 by the team losing that cap space. If he failed to earn the $500k, the team would gain that cap space the following season.

There are also gains and losses from non-public data, like contract insurance payments and grievance payments.

Every dollar spent on a player counts against a team’s total cap charge at some point. Sure, when a team restuctures a contract to open up cap space, it appears on the surface that the cap might be fake. In the end, though, the dollars are accounted for. It’s just a matter of when they are accounted, not that they are.

It’s said that you can’t have your cake and eat it too, but the 2026 Jets could be in a position to do close to breaking that old cliche. If they’re not in a position to draft a quarterback with their first pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, they could wait until the pick they acquired from the Colts and draft a player like Duke quarterback Darian Mensah.

Mensah is a developmental player, and he shouldn’t start right away, and maybe he doesn’t even have to be the immediate backup either (if he were drafted by the Jets).

Hooker signing with the practice squad means he’s eligible for the Jets to sign him to a reserve/futures contract in January once the season ends. Brady Cook is already signed for 2026, but has no guaranteed money, and neither would Hooker on a reserve/futures deal. That would give the Jets two quarterbacks for training camp.

Right now, the Jets have $30.4 million tied up in dead cap charges for Aaron Rodgers and Tyrod Taylor. The likely release of Justin Fields adds another $13 million to that when they use a post-June 1 designation. Upon release, Fields will cost $22 million from 4 PM on March 11 through 4 PM on June 1. Then, he will cost the Jets $13 million in cap space in 2026 and $9 million in 2027.

Cook and Hooker would each cost the Jets $1.005 million in cap space during camp, and one would presumably be cut during this experiment. Then there’s the starting quarterback.

During free agency, the best option will be Malik Willis. Willis is a backup quarterback with starting potential. He could also be a bridge quarterback for the Jets. With the QB2 on the books at $1.005 million, that puts the Jets total at $43.405 million in cap space for the quarterbacks.

Let’s look at a potential contract for Malik Willis.

Terms: 1 year, $8 million, fully guaranteed
Base Salary: $1.215 million
Signing Bonus: $6.785 million
Incentives: $2 million
Cap Charge: $2,572,000 ($5,428,000 dead in 2027)
Contract voids on the first day of the 2027 league year

Incentive schedule (non-cumulative)
50% snaps: $250k
65% snaps: $250k
80% snaps: $250k
95% snaps: $250k
Wild Card Round win or Bye: $250k
Divisional Round win: $250k
AFC Championship win: $250k
Super Bowl Win: $250k

In June, in this scenario, Darian Mensah falls to the Jets pick acquired from the Indianapolis Colts in the trade for Sauce Gardner. Right now, that stands at 18th overall. According to Over the Cap, this is what the fully guaranteed contract for the 18th overall pick looks like.

This would mean the third-string quarterback, in this scenario, would make $13,032,968 in 2026, and the backup would make $1.005 million. That said, the Jets should take advantage of developing a player like Mensah while also giving him a chance to play if needed, but not necessarily having to force him into action too early.

How would they do this?

In 2023, the NFL brought back the emergency quarterback rule. This allows teams to dress three quarterbacks for a game, but the designated third quarterback is not eligible to play unless the other two are out of the game via injury and/or disqualification.

The catch is that Mensah would have to be on the 53-man roster. So, the Jets would carry three quarterbacks.

The Jets would be killing two birds with one stone. Willis could become a starting quarterback, but they also have their guy in tow if Willis isn’t that guy.

If Willis is their guy, Mensah could be a backup for a year or two (2027-28), then the Jets could trade him to another team.

Scenarios:
Malik Willis becomes the starting quarterback of the Jets long-term. Then the Jets trade Darian Mensah after the 2027 season, absorbing a dead cap charge of $6,073,984. The acquiring team exercises the fifth-year option, giving them three years to see what Mensah has.

Malik Willis becomes a viable bridge option who isn’t quite starter material, but holds the Jets afloat for 2026. Darian Mensah becomes the starting quarterback near the end of 2026 (like Mahomes did for the Chiefs) or in 2027. The Jets have four years to find out if Mensah is their QB of the future (with the fifth-year option). Willis earns $1 million of his $2 million in incentives, and the Jets take a $1 million adjustment in 2027. With Fields, that a total of $10 million lost on quarterbacks not on the Jets roster in 2027.

Either way, the Jets can have a solid plan moving forward at quarterback. Time will tell whether or not it works, but they can have a viable and clear plan of attack.

This is a crucial offseason for the New York Jets, and they’re going to need to hit home runs in free agency, because the 2026 class projects out to be much better than 2027.

There’s a lot of focus on the quarterback position and who the Jets should draft, and rightfully so, but free agency is going to be a crucial point for the franchise. This year’s free agency can make or break the continued building of the franchise. They’re going to need to be wise in their selections and not play it like last season. They will need to be aggressive and might have to overspend, even though that’s the norm for free agency anyway.

Who should they target, though? Let’s dive in.

Malik Willis

The current Green Bay Packers backup quarterback is likely to hit free agency, and the Jets could work out a deal that allows them to hedge their bets. On one hand, Malik Willis could turn into a viable starting quarterback in the league, and, on the other, he could be a valuable bridge to 2027-28.

Willis can sign with the Jets for a pseudo-long-term deal. While also still being a bridge. Basically, it can be a five-year deal with an out after two, but guaranteed money for multiple seasons. So, if he becomes your quarterback for the future, he gets good money.

Renegotiation later is also possible if needed, for a pay raise.

Tyler Linderbaum

The Jets recently signed Josh Myers to an extension, presumably to play center. However, it appears that current Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum will be allowed to test free agency. The Jets should swoop in and sign him, despite having Myers.

Myers’ position versatility means he could start at guard for Gang Green next season while they develop someone, so they wouldn’t necessarily have to draft a guard early. However, Myers could also be a versatile backup, if they draft a guard, and he wins the job.

The potential pay of $6,060,000 in 2025-26 shouldn’t scare the Jets off of signing Linderbaum at all.

John Franklin-Myers

It’s time to bring back JFM. The Jets need help on both the interior and on the edge. Much like Myers, JFM brings them a player with versatility, buy his age could be an issue, as he’s 30. That said, defensive tackles tend to age much better than many in the NFL.

The Jets could give him a contract like this, and it would give him $12.5 million per season (based on the total value of the contract).

With this contract, they’d have a year-by-year option, but they’d only have until the Friday after the Super Bowl to make a decision. If he’s on the roster for the next two seasons, his contract is effectively $22 million guaranteed. It would be $35 million over the 2026-28 seasons.

The Jets could also extend him at any point, turning the 2030 void year into a real year. The dead cap charge would be $9.754 million in 2029.

Jowon Briggs (ERFA Tender)

The Jets must bring back Briggs using the ERFA tender. The tender will likely be $1,005,000, though the Jets can make it more. The combination of the JFM and Briggs additions will make the Jets IDL depth at the top will be Briggs, JFM, and Harrison Phillips.

Breece Hall (Re-sign)

The Jets must re-sign Breece Hall. He might seek $12 million per season, and that shouldn’t stop the Jets from re-signing him.

So, a 4-year, $48 million contract could work. Also, give him $19.715 million guaranteed as signing. Finally, 2028 becomes fully guaranteed in March of 2027.

John Metchie III (RFA Tender)

The second round restricted free agent tender is $5,658,000. That’s not a huge amount of money, and the combination of the Likely signing and this tender gives the Jets a good group of pass-catchers, and good enough to be competitive.

This also allows the Jets to fill other holes early in the draft, especially at edge, safety and linebacker, as they can now use earlier picks on safety and linebacker without having to force a pick at wide receiver.

Just like at quarterback, with this tender, they could afford to wait until 2027, if, at that point, they were to feel like they need to add a wide receiver.

Marcelino McCrary-Ball (RFA Tender)

McCrary-Ball has done well enough on special teams to warrant a right of first refusal RFA tender, which currently is projected by Over the Cap to be $3,453,000. It’s highly unlikely for a team to offer him a tender, and he could stil develop into decent depth at linebacker. The Jets would still need a second main linebacker for the base 4-2-5 defense.

With these acquisitions, the Jets would still need to add 20 more players over the course of the offseason to get to a 53-man roster. From a Week 1 lens, they’d still have $95,480,866 in cap space to maneuver throughout the season, when factoring in projected cuts to current active players and the practice squad already being added.

Darren Mougey is set up for a good offseason, if he and Aaron Glenn can convince free agents to come here.

The New York Jets recently signed Josh Myers to a contract extension worth $11 million over two seasons. Now, they have a capable starting center in toe for two seasons, and he can be a bridge to their next starter, with Joe Tippmann now entrenched at guard.

So, here are the particulars of the new money in the contract (per Over the Cap):

2027 Base Salary: $3.14 million (fully guaranteed)
2028 Base Salary: $4.94 million ($1 million guaranteed for injury)
Signing Bonus: $1.8 million ($600k cap charge in 2025-27)
Per Game Active Roster Bonus: $30k
Workout Bonus: $50k

All in all, Myers has $5.94 million in total guarantees ($4.94 million in full guarantees). They have a man who can be a backup at all three interior offensive line positions and is a capable starter for a total of $11 million over two seasons, if they choose to keep him. His full guarantee in 2026 basically locks him into a roster spot, barring anything spectacular, because the Jets would only save $560k by cutting him after June 1.

Given that he’s likely to be active in the rest of the games this season, his cap charge next year will be $4.3 million, since the per-game roster bonus will be considered likely to be earned for all 17 games. Any inactive games would result in a $30k credit per game for the Jets in 2027.

The total cap charges for the contract are very reasonable, especially for a fringe starter and versatile backup.
2025: an additional $600k for the signing bonus
2026: $4.3 million
2027: $6.1 million
(All numbers assume every dollar for the bonuses gets earned.)

Barring injury, I can see him playing out this contract, and it’s a good one for both sides.

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The Jets must fire defensive coordinator Steve Wilks after the season ends, and they should look to the Lions to see how to handle the replacement.

The New York Jets defense has been awful in 2025, and much of it is schematic, rather than talent. That means the veteran defensive coordinator must go.

In 2021, the Lions were 25th in scoring. The offense looked terrible, and veteran offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn was canned. The reason they fired Lynn was that the offense far underperformed the talent.

In 2002, the Lions promoted tight ends coach Ben Johnson to offensive coordinator. It was his first time calling plays, and the Lions also had the current Jets head coach, Aaron Glenn, in his second season calling plays for their defense.

In 2026, Tanner Engstrand will be in his second season as a play-caller. The tendency for fans and the media would be to look toward veteran defensive play-callers to replace Wilks, and some would look outside the organization. However, the Jets should absolutely look inward for their next defensive coordinator.

In 2021, not only was Johnson the tight ends coach for the Lions, but he also assumed pass game coordinator duties during that season, following Lynn's relief from play-calling duties.

The Jets have someone on their defensive staff who currently has similar roles to Johnson before he took the reins of the offense for the Lions. Former NFL safety, and current Jets defensive backs coach and defensive passing game coordinator Chris Harris should be the one to replace Wilks.

Harris interviewed for the position that ultimately went to Wilks before landing on Wilks’ staff. Harris has shown he’s a good developer of talent with the improvement of Brandon Stephens as the season has progressed, and rookie Malachi Moore has shown signs of being a diamond-in-the-rough type player, after having been a day 3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Other than one coach being on offense and the other on defense, the only major difference in the roads to coordinator would be the number of years as an assistant coach in the NFL. Harris will be completing his 13th season as an NFL coach, and Johnson had completed only 10. That said, Johnson did spend his first three years as a football assistant coach at Boston College.

In the end, there needs to be a change at the top of the defensive staff for Glenn, and he should look inward, rather than outside the building.

The 2026 free agent class looks like it’s going to be a lot better than 2027, and the Jets need to take full advantage of that and strike while the iron is hot. They should try to land Isaiah Likely instead of focusing on the wide receiver position.

The Jets wide receiver room looks like this right now (assuming they use the RFA tenders on John Metchie III and Irvin Charles):

WR1: Garrett Wilson
WR2: Metchie III
WR3: Adonai Mitchell
WR4: Arian Smith
WR5: Isaiah Williams (return specialist)
WR6: Irvin Charles (special teams)

For many, that’s not a wide receiver room to hang your hat on, and it’s also not a top-level WR room for the next quarterback. Jets fans would hate it if they went into 2026 with that room. However, they could, and it would be ok.

It is a high possibility that Isaiah Likely will hit the free agent market in 2026. The current Baltimore Ravens tight end should be a top target in free agency for a Jets team that wants to improve, and an acquisition of the tight end, who turns 26 in April, would be a welcome addition to the skill position group of the Jets. His acquisition would make it so the Jets don’t need to acquire a wide receiver.

The Jets can mix and match Likely in a bunch of different formations:

11 personnel: in-line TE, slot, or outside
12 personnel: in-line TE, outside WR, wingback, or fullback
13 personnel: in-line TE, wingback, or FB
21/22 personnel: in-line TE, outside WR, or FB

When you combine his position versatility with his ability to catch and block — which aren’t necessarily on the elite Rob Gronkowski level — they’d have an all-around tight end that’s worthy of top targets. That would essentially make him the No. 2 or 3 target on the field on many plays.

So, with him, Wilson, Mason Taylor, and Breece Hall (if he returns) as options, those are four formidable options when on the field together. Throw in his ability to block in the running game, and the Jets don’t necessarily need to get a WR2 — or even WR3 — in 2026.

So, what could Likely command?

I project him to be somewhere around 5 years, with a value of $50,558,270, including $11,303,540 fully guaranteed at signing.

Here’s the breakdown for the guarantees:

2026 Cash: $6,240,095

Base Salary: $1.215 million
Signing Bonus: $5,024,095

2027 Cash: $5,064,445

Base Salary: $1.26 million
Option Bonus: $3,804,445

Injury Guarantee with 2027 trigger for full guarantee:

2028 Cash: $7,052,735

Base Salary: $1.3 million
Option Bonus: $5,752,735

2029 Cash: $14,450,998

Base Salary: $11,450,998 (fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the league year)
Roster Bonus: $2 million (paid on the fifth day of the league year)
Per-Game Roster Bonus: $1 million
Dead Cap Charge for Release: $9,934,493
Cap Savings: $7,692,760

2030 Cash: $16,450,997

Base Salary: $13,450,997
Roster Bonus: $2 million
Per-Game Roster Bonus: $1 million
Dead Cap Charge for Release: $6,758,238
Cap Savings for Release: $12,869,014

How that looks on paper:

Depending on where he’s at in his career come 2029, even those cap charges don’t look too bad based on his age, potential production level, and where the cap will be. Given where the list of tight ends is in terms of AAV, for 2026, his place in that position is perfect. It’s a win-win contract for everyone.

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