Why Jets Decided To Move On From 6-Time Pro Bowler Davante Adams

The Jets made the right call with the superstar receiver

Dec 15, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) and wide receiver Davante Adams (17) celebrates after beating the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The New York Jets obviously are going to look different in 2025.

New York has made that obvious by announcing that it is moving on from Aaron Rodgers and cutting ties with six-time Pro Bowler Davante Adams. The Jets also have given receiver Allen Lazard permission to seek a trade.

It's clearly a new era in town and the Jets have wasted no time making big changes. There was a lot of hope with the team heading into 2024. New York got Rodgers back after missing pretty much all of the 2023 season. The Jets decided to reunite Rodgers with Adams after a slow start and on paper New York looked like one of the better teams in the AFC.

Things just didn't work out, though, and the Jets finished the season with a 5-12 record. The Jets acquired Adams for a conditional third-round pick and now will no longer have him in the organization. It was a high price to pay, but at the time the Jets still weren't out of playoff contention in the AFC. Adams played well with the Jets and had 67 catches for 854 yards in 11 games but the Jets made the right move cutting ties with him.

Prior to his release, Adams' cap hit for the 2025 season would've been over $38 million. Now that the Jets moved on from him, they will save just under $30 million in cap space, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"The Jets will save $29.9M in salary cap space by releasing Davante Adams," Schefter said. "He had no guaranteed money remaining on his contract."

The Jets brought in Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey to help fix the organization. Having that extra cap space will allow the team to be aggressive in free agency. Now, the Jets have the 10th-most cap space in the NFL at over $51 million, per Over The Cap. Free agency begins next week and that number will only go higher when the team's move involving Rodgers becomes official.

With Rodgers not returning, it didn't seem likely that Adams would be back either. The move has been made, now, and the Jets have plenty of cap space to work with.

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