Why the New York Jets and GM Joe Douglas Want to Stay Significantly Under the Salary Cap

With several roster spots to fill and plenty of salary cap space, the New York Jets haven’t made a big splash in free agency. And, frankly, they aren’t likely to.

Sitting on over $31 million in salary cap space this offseason, the Jets have been reluctant to chase the likes of prize free agents that lingered throughout the summer, names such as cornerback Logan Ryan and defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. The reason, according to general manager Joe Douglas, is because the Jets are eyeing free agency over the next several seasons and not looking to fill holes just this year.

The Jets, who were very active in free agency, especially among the Tier II and Tier III free agents, should be able to roll over a considerable amount of cap space for next year. This is especially helpful since the salary cap has been reported to stay flat at $175 million or potentially even shrink due to lost income from COVID-19 restrictions on fans attending games.

“In terms of cap space and I’m not going to get into all the specifics but basically we see it as a dollar you spend today is a dollar you don’t have for next year’s cap,” Douglas said on Monday.

“So we’re sitting here and there is a lot of uncertainty in terms of next year’s cap number. We know what the floor is of $175 [million]. We also know that can change. We don’t know when we’ll the answer to that. We have to have a game plan on how we’re going to handle both this year and next year and the years moving forward.”

The Jets could potentially be one of the few teams next offseason with considerable cap space. This sets them up to be major players and allows Douglas a chance to be aggressive in signing the next tier of available free agents to further the rebuilding process.

That doesn’t mean that the Jets can’t and won’t look to upgrade their roster now. Just simply that they may not pursue a big fish type player just because they have the space.

“I think our mindset is if there is the right player and the right opportunity – look, one thing I will say is that I’m not bound by any restrictions when it comes to ownership,” Douglas said.

“There are reports out there, I operate with full autonomy when it comes to roster decisions…But basically we have a vision, we have a vision, we have game plan of what we are trying to accomplish. We want to want to have the flexibility so when the right player and the right opportunity presents we are going to be aggressive. I’m sure it may seem like we’re not doing that right now but we do have a vision and a game plan.”