Quinnen Williams, come on down! The New York Jets knew they could not lock up their All-Pro defensive tackle without saving some money first and took a significant first step toward that goal Thursday morning.
New York agreed to a contract restructure for defensive end Carl Lawson that frees up close to $12.7 million in cap space, as Field Yates of ESPN first reported. Gang Green is expected to have close to $18 million in cap space now.
Lawson’s re-worked contract was long-expected for a team looking to create as much cap space as possible for the 2023 season. He was due $15 million and had no guarantees but is now due a base value of $9 million with around $3 million more in incentives. After missing all of 2021 with an Achilles injury, Lawson performed well for the Jets recording seven sacks in 17 games played.
He’s recorded 27 sacks in five seasons between the Jets and the Bengals.
The Jets’ latest move is a clear and obvious sign to try and accrue as much cap space possible to lock up the former third-overall pick to a long-term deal. The two sides have been in a stand-off for most of the offseason while other defensive tackles have agreed to massive paydays. It could also free up more money to re-work Aaron Rodgers’ contract which the team is also trying to handle.
Rodgers carries a cap hit of just over $1 million in 2023 but $37 in 2024. If the team can re-work his deal, that could free up more cap space for the Jets going into the next few seasons to allow Williams more freedom to work on a long-term deal as well.
Gang Green and their fanbase understand that Lawson is not the only veteran they’ve been reaching out to in hopes of coming to an agreement on a reworked contract. C.J. Mosley, Corey Davis, and even Laken Tomlinson could all be in the market for a new contract that gives the Jets flexibility to retain one of their biggest pieces to a championship puzzle.
With close to $19 million now in space though, the Jets have received some major breathing room to make their best players happy for the foreseeable future.
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