The New York Jets are heading into the 2026 offseason with a mountain to climb - and it’s not just on the field. Financially, they’re carrying a league-high $91.2 million in dead cap space, a number that looms large over any plans the new front office, led by GM Darren Mougey, might have for a quick turnaround.
This cap situation is the residue of former GM Joe Douglas’ tenure - a stretch that saw flashes of promise but ultimately left the franchise stuck in neutral. Douglas had his moments, no doubt.
Drafting Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner gave the Jets two franchise cornerstones. Breece Hall, Michael Carter II, and Joe Tippmann were solid finds in the mid-to-late rounds.
But for every draft hit, there was a financial misstep that now has serious consequences.
Let’s start with the biggest number on the books: Aaron Rodgers. The quarterback was Douglas’ final swing to bring winning football back to Florham Park, but the move didn’t pan out as planned.
Now, Rodgers carries a massive $35 million dead cap hit into the 2026 season - the single largest chunk of the Jets’ cap burden. That’s the cost of going all-in on a short-term solution that never materialized on the field.
Then there’s the $20.8 million tied up in the departures of Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. While those numbers sting, they come with some silver lining.
The Jets managed to flip both players for significant draft capital - three first-round picks and a second-rounder - which gives Mougey and his team ammunition to rebuild. In that context, the dead money becomes part of the cost of hitting the reset button.
But not all of these hits come with such a silver lining.
C.J. Mosley, once the heart of the Jets’ defense, now accounts for $7.65 million in dead cap space thanks to a 2024 restructure.
He’s been retired for a year, but his contract is still very much alive on the books. Then there’s Michael Carter - extended to the tune of three years and $30 million right before the 2024 season, only to be traded to the Eagles before the deadline.
That move left $6.8 million in dead money behind.
And perhaps the most frustrating name on the list? Allen Lazard.
Signed to a four-year, $44 million deal in 2023 - largely seen as a move to appease Rodgers - Lazard never found his footing in New York. He was waived in December and didn’t latch on with another team, despite the Jets giving him the green light to explore other opportunities.
Even teams with Rodgers at quarterback didn’t bite.
All told, these moves paint a picture of a front office that ran out of answers and started mortgaging the future to patch up the present. It’s a tough pill to swallow for Jets fans, especially knowing that the team still has about $79.7 million in cap space to work with this offseason. That number could’ve been significantly higher - and more flexible - if not for the $91 million in dead money that’s weighing things down.
The good news? The cleanout appears to be in full swing.
The Jets are resetting, and they’ve got the draft capital and some financial breathing room to start reshaping the roster. But make no mistake - this is a rebuild that’s starting from a deficit.
The next chapter in Jets football will be defined not just by who they bring in, but how well they clean up the mess left behind.