The New York Jets plan on trimming some fat ahead of free agency.
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic put team captain Thomas Morstead on notice by saying he is a name to watch as a potential cap casualty.
Morstead signed a two-year deal for $5.1 million with $2.21 million of that guaranteed last offseason. The Jets could save $2.55 million in cap space with a $500,000 dead cap hit if they moved on from him this offseason, per Spotrac.
Not a Touchy-Feely Business but Rather a Cold-Blooded One
On the surface the Jets potentially cutting a 38-year-old soon-to-be 39-year-old punter to save some money makes sense.
A new regime is taking over and Morstead is a name on a roster sheet just like anyone else. However, the former SMU product developed a fun relationship with fans for his elite play and unique quirks.
For a large stretch of the last 10 years, the Jets struggled to find consistency at the punter position. That all changed when Morstead joined the team initially in 2021 as an injury replacement and then full-time in 2023 as the guy.
Morstead was named a Pro Bowl alternate during the 2023 season coming off of one of his best years as a pro.
The NFL is a business that stands for not for long. Gang Green’s decision to potentially move on from Morstead would be financially driven.
“If the Jets decide to make a change at punter, Broncos punter Riley Dixon would be an option too,” Rosenblatt revealed.
Dixon is a former Syracuse product and would welcome a return back to New York after his college days.
More Cuts Are Coming for the Jets
Rosenblatt said “expect” decisions to come through “sooner than later” on wide receivers Davante Adams and Allen Lazard. They are “likely cuts”, Rosenblatt added.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport shared on Sunday, March 2 that the Jets are taking trade calls on Adams ahead of the new league year kicking off.
However, they are unlikely to find a trade partner for Adams’ services. It isn’t because Adams doesn’t have gas in the tank.
In 11 games with the Jets, Adams racked up 854 receiving yards to go along with 67 receptions and seven touchdowns.
It is because of Adams’ massive contract. The talented receiver is owed a $35.6 million base salary over the final two years of his contract. That is an untenable figure for any NFL team.
In other words for a trade to go down, the Jets would need the assistance of Adams to pull it off. He would have to renegotiate his deal with a new team for that to happen.
Adams is more likely to refuse those contract alterations and force the Jets to release him. That would allow Adams to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his NFL career. At that point, he could sign with whoever he wants at whatever new contract he and his representation negotiate.
Brian Costello of the New York Post confirmed the unlikely nature of a Jets-Adams trade on “Boy Green Daily.”
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