The Jets can avoid calling it a tank.
But when you stack the numbers up on the ledger sheet, it’s awfully hard to deny a clear plan this offseason.
According to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, the 11 veteran players the Jets have released this offseason represent $67.9 million in payroll slashed.
That has taken them from one of the highest payrolls in the league to one of the lowest, and positions them to have tremendous flexibility next year. The cuts resulted in just $11.3 million in dead money this year and $2.9 million in dead money in 2018, which could put them around $66 million in cap space next year.
Between this week’s deletion of David Harris and Eric Decker, and previous cuts of Darrelle Revis and Nick Mangold and others, the Jets have chosen a clear direction, even if they won’t admit it.
“No, I think there’s a lot of things that go into these decisions,"General Manager Mike Maccagnan said when asked if the moves were financially motivated. “I think we’ve been focused on trying to create opportunities for a lot of players on this roster. We have some very competitive positions, and we’ll see how it unfolds going forward.”
And we’ll see who is around for the unfolding, after what should be a regrettable season.