The New York Jets have made an eyebrow-raising move in the middle of the 2024 NFL draft.
Adam Schefter of ESPN shared on social media that Gang Green is flipping veteran defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a 2026 sixth-rounder.
Rich Cimini of ESPN said that JFM was counting “$16.4 million” against the cap this year and explained that “something had to give.”
“With the trade, they clear $7.3 million in cap space and get stuck with a $9.1 million [dead] cap hit. But they get his $13 million salary (real money) off the books,” Cimini added.
Social Media Reactions to the JFM Jets-Broncos Trade
Cimini revealed that the Jets permitted JFM to seek a trade “three weeks ago.” As part of the deal, Franklin-Myers has reworked his contract and agreed to “a new, two-year deal” with Denver which ends up being a pay cut.
Although the deal almost fell apart. Cimini said the two teams initially agreed on a trade package but New York used one of those picks in the trade-up to land Western Kentucky wideout Malachi Corley.
“The deal appeared in jeopardy, but the Jets and Broncos agreed to the new compensation (a sixth-rounder in 2026). JFM will sign his new deal tomorrow,” Cimini added.
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic said this trade “has been in the works for a week.” He had previously hinted that some sort of deal was in the works to send away a veteran but he didn’t provide specifics.
Although five minutes before the NFL draft on Thursday, April 25 JFM sent out a cryptic post on social media.
“Life’s a trampoline, I’m gone bounce back regardless,” he wrote.
Jets Depth on Defensive Line Takes a Hit
JFM was a versatile piece for the green and white. He had the ability to play inside and outside on the defensive line.
The problem was his contract. He had two years left on his $55 million contract and his cap hits over the next two years were $16 million and $17 million.
Cimini explained on the “Flight Deck Podcast” on April 18 that the Jets planned on approaching JFM about taking a pay cut later this offseason. He predicted that a nasty contract standoff could be on the horizon.
This trade during the draft means this all came to a head much earlier than anticipated. Instead of dragging this out the Jets decided to just cut ties and move on.
This now opens the door for former first-rounder Will McDonald to get a lot more reps in his sophomore campaign. Before this trade, it was hard to prognosticate how many more snaps McDonald would earn this season because of the depth of the room.
Now the pressure is on for the former Iowa State product to step up to the plate. The good news is there is plenty of talent on that side of the ball. Aaron Rodgers is on offense and should allow you to play with more leads.
McDonald has a chance to make some noise if he can take advantage of his opportunities.
Like Heavy.com’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy.com
The post Jets Trade Away $55 Million Starter in Surprising Salary Dump: Report appeared first on Heavy.com.