The Jets began trimming their roster on Tuesday, when they released defender Henry Anderson.
The move cleared $ 8.2 million in the Jets’ salary cap, bringing the estimated total to $ 76.1 million, the second highest in the NFL according to Over The Cap. The Jets are in a position to be big investors when the free agency officially opens on March 17th.
Cutting Anderson was not a move the Jets needed to make to clear the space. They already had a lot of them. But Anderson’s production did not match his salary. Anderson was expected to earn $ 8.2 million in 2021 with a salary cap of $ 9.5 million. Anderson only had half a sack in 2020 and only one sack in 2019.
Moving from Anderson was an easy call for general manager Joe Douglas, as the 29-year-old had no money left guaranteed in the contract. The move had been expected this offseason.
The most important question is whether Douglas will continue to poke at the list to clean up more room. There are no other decisions that would be as easy as cutting Anderson. The Jets were able to pull out $ 10.3 million by releasing big receiver Jamison Crowder, but it was their main receiver in each of the last two seasons. Douglas could also make some moves on the offensive line, where attacker George Fant ($ 7.8 million in savings), guard Alex Lewis ($ 5.1 million) and guard Greg Van Roten (3, $ 4 million) are possible casualties per head.
Former GM Mike Maccagnan acquired Anderson during the 2018 draft, and changed a sixth-round pick to the Colts for the 6-foot, 6-foot defensive line player. Anderson paid immediate dividends, with seven sacks in 2018, tied on the team. The Jets rewarded him with a three-year, $ 25.2 million deal (with $ 17 million guaranteed) in March 2019.
But Anderson struggled to make an impact in the last two seasons. A shoulder injury slowed him down in 2019 and in 2020, while playing well against the race, he was not a passing factor. He started eight games last season and played 16. In three seasons, he started 24 of the 45 games he played for the Jets.
In addition to the $ 8.2 million savings against the salary cap, releasing Anderson leaves $ 1.3 million in dead money.