The Jets began clearing salary-cap room for their bold plan to reload this offseason, saving $2.3 million with the release of starting cornerback Aaron Beasley and the retirement of starting left guard Dave Szott.
More cuts are likely before Tuesday's deadline to clear the league's $80.6-million salary cap, starting with linebacker Mo Lewis, whose release would save $900,000. Releasing receiver Curtis Conway by Tuesday would save another $1.77 million.
The Jets are close to restructuring starting cornerback Donnie Abraham's contract, with nearly $2 million in potential savings on the table there. All told, the expected moves would save nearly $7 million on the '04 cap. When the moves are completed, the Jets are expected to be $10 million under the cap.
Releasing strong safety Sam Garnes now or after June 1 would make little difference on the salary cap. But he's due a $125,000 roster bonus - hardly chump change, if you're owner Woody Johnson.
The timing of linebacker Marvin Jones' release would be a wash, salary-cap wise. But it's believed that Jones, an 11-year veteran, doesn't want to hang around until June 1 to learn his fate.
The team would like to avoid paying linebacker Sam Cowart a $1-million roster bonus. But Cowart's agent, Paul Healy, said yesterday there's been no progress on a restructured deal - a good indication that the team is willing to release him and eat the $400,000 cap difference if he doesn't take a pay cut.
With Szott's retirement, the Jets will be in the market for one, and possibly two starting guards. Adam Timmerman is the best free agent available, but the Rams are trying to re-sign him. The Patriots' Damien Woody would be a good option.
Notes & quotes: The Jets beat out Arizona and signed CFL quarterback Ricky Ray, 24, to compete with Brooks Bollinger for the backup job. The beauty of Ray is that he has experience - 33 starts in Canada - but gets paid like a rookie in the NFL. His base salary is the rookie minimum, $230,000, with a signing bonus of about $200,000 on a four-year deal ... The Vinny Testaverde saga might not be over just yet, because at 40, Testaverde still has bargaining power. If he files his retirement papers before June 1, his $7.5-million salary-cap hit would accelerate immediately, instead of being spread over the next two years. The Jets might have to pay Testaverde for the convenience of a cap-friendly, post-June 1 retirement.
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More cuts are likely before Tuesday's deadline to clear the league's $80.6-million salary cap, starting with linebacker Mo Lewis, whose release would save $900,000. Releasing receiver Curtis Conway by Tuesday would save another $1.77 million.
The Jets are close to restructuring starting cornerback Donnie Abraham's contract, with nearly $2 million in potential savings on the table there. All told, the expected moves would save nearly $7 million on the '04 cap. When the moves are completed, the Jets are expected to be $10 million under the cap.
Releasing strong safety Sam Garnes now or after June 1 would make little difference on the salary cap. But he's due a $125,000 roster bonus - hardly chump change, if you're owner Woody Johnson.
The timing of linebacker Marvin Jones' release would be a wash, salary-cap wise. But it's believed that Jones, an 11-year veteran, doesn't want to hang around until June 1 to learn his fate.
The team would like to avoid paying linebacker Sam Cowart a $1-million roster bonus. But Cowart's agent, Paul Healy, said yesterday there's been no progress on a restructured deal - a good indication that the team is willing to release him and eat the $400,000 cap difference if he doesn't take a pay cut.
With Szott's retirement, the Jets will be in the market for one, and possibly two starting guards. Adam Timmerman is the best free agent available, but the Rams are trying to re-sign him. The Patriots' Damien Woody would be a good option.
Notes & quotes: The Jets beat out Arizona and signed CFL quarterback Ricky Ray, 24, to compete with Brooks Bollinger for the backup job. The beauty of Ray is that he has experience - 33 starts in Canada - but gets paid like a rookie in the NFL. His base salary is the rookie minimum, $230,000, with a signing bonus of about $200,000 on a four-year deal ... The Vinny Testaverde saga might not be over just yet, because at 40, Testaverde still has bargaining power. If he files his retirement papers before June 1, his $7.5-million salary-cap hit would accelerate immediately, instead of being spread over the next two years. The Jets might have to pay Testaverde for the convenience of a cap-friendly, post-June 1 retirement.
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