No one expected the Jets to keep cornerback Trumaine Johnson on the roster for a third season after his first two years with the team were a crashing disappointment, so it was no surprise to hear last week that they informed Johnson of his release.
That was never followed by an official announcement that Johnson has been released, but it appears that will change on Wednesday. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Johnson will officially be let go on the same day that the NFL starts the 2020 league year.
The timing is significant because waiting for the start of the league year allows the Jets to make Johnson a post-June 1 cut and push some of the dead money left on the cap into the 2021 season. In Johnson’s case, that will mean $4 million in dead money rather than $12 million this year and an increase in cap savings of $8 million. That $8 million would go onto the 2021 cap.
It’s not clear if that’s the route the Jets will go, but waiting for the league year to start makes it an option as they chart a course for 2020.