Back in February, there was a report that the Jets wanted wide receiver Santonio Holmes to restructure his contract for the 2013 season.
With free agency just days away, the reports have upped the Jets’ desire for an amended contract from want to insist. Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com reports that the Jets and Holmes are still talking and that the Jets are “insisting” Holmes reduce his $11 million salary (plus $250,000 for a workout bonus) for next season.
Holmes’ $7.5 million in guaranteed money would seem to make this an easy call for the player to call the team’s bluff, but there’s offset language in Holmes’ contract that would mean he can’t double dip in the event he’s cut by the Jets. The only way he’s making more than $7.5 million is by staying with the Jets, which could provide a path toward a slightly more manageable salary and cap figure for Holmes in 2013.
Or Holmes might decide to just take his $7.5 million and play somewhere else. That would leave the Jets on the hook for some portion of the $7.5 million and out their best receiver, which might be a situation they’d like to avoid.