Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer 7y

How Jets GM Mike Maccagnan can create $50 million in cap room

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Greetings from the West Coast. Our New York Jets question of the week deals with looming salary-cap cuts -- a hot button issue:

@RichCimini: Right now, the Jets have about $166 million committed toward what is projected as a $166 million cap, according to overthecap.com. That's no breathing room. Ah, but that number is deceiving because general manager Mike Maccagnan can clear serious cap space (your words, John) by dumping some veterans.

If they cut the four players you mention, they'd clear $30.4 million in cap space. Because Brandon Marshall, Nick Mangold and Breno Giacomini are entering the final year of their contracts, the acceleration charge would be minimal -- only $625,000. Darrelle Revis is in a different category because he still has three years left, including a $6 million guarantee in 2017. So they'd get stuck with that on their cap.

Let's take it further. If they cut David Harris and Ryan Clady and trade Sheldon Richardson, there's another $24.6 million in savings. That would bring them up to $55 million in cap room, which would create tremendous flexibility in free agency.

It might sound wonderful, but you'd have a roster with a lot of holes. You just can't cut everybody without having a plan to replace those players. Maccagnan will have to make value judgments, such as: Do they trust Wesley Johnson to replace Mangold? Is Brandon Shell or Brent Qvale ready to succeed Giacomini? Revis isn't having a great year, but where's his heir apparent? Can you squeeze another year out of Harris if he's only a two-down linebacker?

Clady is a goner, so that's a $10 million savings. But you get the point; there has to be a strategy. They can also save money by reworking some of these contracts, which I could see happening with Mangold. I think Richardson will get traded, but his value is so low that might be wishful thinking.

The bottom line is, yes, there will be a lot of bloodshed in the offseason.

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