Jets paying combined $48M for Rodgers, Fields to not be their QB in 2026

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CockcroftSuper Bowl 2027 on ESPN: Date, location, venue, more details38dESPNJets eating $48M in cap after moving on from Rodgers, FieldsplayJets targeting WR depth in draft and trade market (0:47)Rich Cimini breaks down the New York Jets' primary offseason need at wide receiver
(0:47)Rich CiminiMar 22, 2026, 06:00 AM ETCloseRich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL at ESPN
Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years, joining ESPN in 2010
Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast
He previously was a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University.Follow on XMultiple AuthorsEmailPrintFLORHAM PARK, N.J
-- A look at what's happening around the New York Jets:1
A real capper: The NFL's salary cap world can create some weird situations
For instance: The Jets are paying Geno Smith $3.3 million to be their starter and Justin Fields $8 million to be the Kansas City Chiefs' backup.It's not ideal
Neither is the fact that Fields and Aaron Rodgers, their last two opening-day starters, are eating up $48 million in cap space (about 16%) because of "dead" charges.While the accounting doesn't look pretty on paper, it's important to take a wide-angle view of the situation
It hasn't stopped the Jets from being moderately aggressive this offseason -- they're 11th in team spending, per Spotrac
They're also operating with the knowledge that clear skies are ahead.We're talking about more than $150 million in 2027 cap space, which will allow them to be major players next offseason
If a star player becomes available via trade, the Jets, with their three 2027 first-round picks and oodles of cap space, will be in position to move on it
That goes for any position, including quarterback.This is all part of a carefully crafted plan by general manager Darren Mougey, who inherited the Rodgers contract and a few other unwieldy contracts (Allen Lazard, anyone?)
This explains, in part, the massive dead-money hit this year -- $104 million, the third-highest in the league, according to Spotrac.A chunk of that is the Fields cap hit ($20 million), resulting from Monday's trade to the Chiefs for a 2027 sixth-round pick
It would've cost $23 million to keep him on the roster, but there was no chance of that happening after a disastrous 2025 performance.The Jets wound up eating most of Fields' $10 million guarantee in 2026, which was necessary to facilitate the trade
Basically, Mougey was able to make a bad situation a little less bad.It might seem like a waste of money, but it pales in comparison to what the Miami Dolphins ($99 million) and Arizona Cardinals ($54 million) have in dead charges for Tua Tagovailoa and Kyler Murray, respectively
As part of a growing trend, teams are more willing than ever to eat big contracts.2
Backup plan: The Fields trade means the Jets need a veteran backup for Smith
Carson Wentz and Andy Dalton, both linked to the opening because of their ties to new offensive coordinator Frank Reich, are now off the board
Wentz re-signed with the Minnesota Vikings; Dalton was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.The options are dwindling
One of them is re-signing Tyrod Taylor
He'd work well with Smith -- they have a good relationship -- but the concern with Taylor, 36, is that he's injury prone
Another option is Cooper Rush, 32, cut recently by the Baltimore Ravens
Other free agents include Joe Flacco and Russell Wilson.You can never rule out a trade -- Mougey has made 12 player trades since last year -- but the asking prices remain high.3
Journeyman: Fields is one of seven quarterbacks since 1950 to start a season opener for three different teams in three straight seasons
Fit to be Ty-ed: One of the hotly debated draft topics is the Ty Simpson question.Should the Jets, in search of a long-term solution at quarterback, select the former Alabama star at No
16 overall?ESPN senior draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr
has the Jets taking Simpson in his latest mock draft
He cited two reasons: They can ease him in, letting him sit a year behind Smith
There's no guarantee, even with three first-round picks, they will get one of the top quarterbacks in what is expected to be a loaded 2027 draft."This notion that next year they're going to get Arch Manning or Dante Moore
Who knows if they will or they won't?" Kiper said on a national conference call.Kiper broached the idea of the Jets doing what the New York Giants did last year with Jaxson Dart: trading up to the back end of the first round
The Jets, picking 33rd, could easily make that move
The question is whether Simpson, with only 15 college starts, is worth that kind of commitment.Recent history suggests no.Since 2011, six of the seven first-round quarterbacks with fewer than 17 college starts didn't pan out in the NFL: Jake Locker (12), Christian Ponder (12), Anthony Richardson Sr
(13), Mitchell Trubisky (13), Blaine Gabbert (13) and Dwayne Haskins (14)
The lone exception was Cam Newton (14), the 2015 NFL MVP.It would seem counterintuitive for Mougey, who has a long-term plan, to take a quarterback with a light résumé in a thin quarterback class.play0:57Why Louis Riddick rates Ty Simpson so highlyLouis Riddick raves about why he thinks Ty Simpson has earned a spot as a top-15 pick in the 2026 NFL draft.5
Free agent update: Busy offseason so far
The latest signings count consists of eight outside free agents (totaling $70 million in guarantees) and seven of their own free agents ($7 million)
Eight of their free agents went to other teams ($60 million), and they still have nine unsigned free agents, most notably Taylor.6
Bookkeeping: Wide receiver Garrett Wilson has rolling guarantees built into the four-year, $130 million extension he signed last July, and his 2027 compensation ($24.5 million) became fully guaranteed earlier this week
Previously, it was guaranteed for injury only.7
Iron man: Middle linebacker Demario Davis, 37, is an absolute marvel
He plays one of the most physically demanding positions in the sport, and yet he has missed only one game because of injury in 14 years -- 2024, sidelined by a strained hamstring.He did miss one game in 2021 because of COVID-19, but the man has logged more than 1,000 defensive snaps in each of the last six seasons."I think I have a phenomenal team that's working on me year-round," said Davis, who signed a two-year, $22 million contract as a free agent
Once it comes off the track, it's always in the garage, getting worked on."8
Ball magnet: Nahshon Wright is a fascinating story
Traded by the Dallas Cowboys, cut twice by the Vikings, the cornerback landed with the Chicago Bears in 2025 and delivered a Pro Bowl season on a minimum-salary contract
In fact, he became only the fourth player in the last 10 years with five interceptions and at least two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in a season.All that after managing one interception and zero forced fumbles and recoveries in his first four seasons combined.Late bloomer or one-year wonder?The free agent market apparently thought it was the latter
The Jets got him for a bargain (one year, $3.5 million) -- a low-risk addition
It certainly addresses a need; Wright had five more interceptions than the entire Jets team last season.For his efforts, he received a league-high $1.4 million in performance pay -- a bonus program designed to reward the lower-paid players.9
Draft picks update: Mougey has done so much wheeling and dealing that it's hard to keep track of the Jets' draft picks
Their current 2026 draft looks like this: Round 1 (2 and 16 overall); Round 2 (33 and 44); Round 4 (103 and 140); Round 5 (179) and Round 7 (228 and 242).In case you're wondering, their third-rounder went to the Eagles in the infamous Haason Reddick trade in 2024.10
Hall of an honor: Former longtime special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff will be feted June 24-25 in Canton, Ohio, where he will receive an Award of Excellence from the Pro Football Hall of Fame
The "Excellence" awards, created in 2022, recognize significant contributors to the game.Westhoff told ESPN he "couldn't be happier or more proud" of the recognition
Many of his former players will attend the festivities
One of them, Westhoff said, started crying on the phone when he gave them the news
Westhoff, 78, beloved by his players, was a trailblazing coach who spent most of his career with the Jets and Dolphins.