ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- A look at what's happening around the New York Jets:
1. Big bill: Whoever is hired as the long-term general manager will receive a hefty credit card bill, so to speak. It can be filed as residual cost of an all-in season that went bust.
Total amount: $23.7 million, which counts on the 2025 salary cap.
To maximize their team-building ability this season, the Jets used void years in the contracts of several players to lower their cap costs in 2024. The downside to the practice is that it creates a "dead" charge when the player's contract expires -- the prorated portion of the signing bonus. In other words, the player isn't wiped off the books even though he becomes a free agent.
The Jets have six players in that category: tight end Tyler Conklin ($5.9 million), cornerback D.J. Reed ($4.6 million), edge rusher Haason Reddick ($4.3 million), defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw ($4.4 million), offensive tackle Tyron Smith ($3.6 million) and guard Wes Schweitzer ($900,000).
With Conklin and Reed, the Jets added void years as part of renegotiations. Kinlaw and Smith signed one-year contracts last offseason that included void years. The Jets inherited Reddick's contract (one year left, plus void years) when they acquired him in a trade. That Reddick and Smith fell well short of expectations makes their cap hits that much more painful.
The Jets also are getting socked with a $5.9 million cap hit for wide receiver Mike Williams, another member of the 2024 free agent class. He was traded at midseason.
The new GM will have decisions to make on quarterback Aaron Rodgers ($49 million dead charge), linebacker C.J. Mosley ($16.4 million), and wide receivers Davante Adams ($8.4 million) and Allen Lazard ($6.6 million). If all four are released, the total hit would be $80.4 million, although some of that can be deferred to 2026 by designating one or two players as post-June 1 cuts.
Bottom line, if you total the six "void" players, plus Williams, plus the four potential cuts, you're talking about $110 million for players who might not be on the roster in 2025.
That loud noise you hear is the sound of a championship window closing.
2. Ready to jet? Reed, for one, expects to hit free agency. He said the Jets had their chance to extend him.
"I definitely want to go into free agency, and it's not because I don't want to be a New York Jet," Reed told ESPN. "I definitely want to be a New York Jet, but I feel like they had the whole offseason, and even throughout the season, to extend it, and they didn't. I feel like for me, personally, it would be best to go into free agency and see what's out there."
Reed, 28, should have suitors, considering his reputation as a solid cover corner with scheme versatility.
3. Stat of the week: Reddick (0.5 sacks) is the only edge player in the league without a full sack (minimum 175 pass rushes), per NFL Next Gen Stats. That covers 90 edge players. The trade for Reddick will go down as one of the worst in team history.
4. The smiling safety: Even teams with bad records can have feel-good moments. The Jets had one on Christmas Eve.
In the team meeting, interim coach Jeff Ulbrich announced that practice squad safety Jarius Monroe, an undrafted rookie, was being signed to the 53-man roster. The room erupted with applause. Monroe was so touched by the reaction that he stood outside the meeting room and shook every teammate's hand as they exited.
A few hours later, Rodgers gave Monroe an unsolicited shoutout on a video conference with reporters, saying, "He does it right all the time." He said Monroe reminds him of former teammate Anthony Levine, an undrafted safety who spent two years on the Green Bay Packers' practice squad before a 10-year career with the Baltimore Ravens.
Monroe, who played at Nicholls State and Tulane, endeared himself to teammates with his energy and upbeat personality. He and Rodgers have struck up a friendship.
"Everybody went crazy, running up on me," Monroe said. "It was a great feeling. I never wavered. It's every day with me. Same energy, same guy, same smile every day. I pride myself on that."
He FaceTimed his family to share the news, and there was a lot of screaming back home in Louisiana.
"I want to be one of the greatest ever," Monroe said. "This is just the start of it for me."
5. On the verge of history: Rodgers needs one touchdown pass to reach 500, a milestone only four players have reached -- Tom Brady (649), Drew Brees (571), Peyton Manning (539) and Brett Favre (508).
Rodgers has thrown touchdowns to 54 players over his career, including nine with the Jets -- Adams (6), Garrett Wilson (6), Lazard (4), Conklin (2), Breece Hall (2), Braelon Allen (1), Xavier Gipson (1), Kenny Yeboah (1) and Isaiah Davis (1).
Who will catch No. 500? Adams is the heavy favorite, based on Rodgers' penchant for throwing to him in scoring territory -- prompting Adams to joke Friday about catching yet another one of Rodgers' milestone balls. Adams has six red zone targets in the past two games, followed by Lazard (2) and Hall (1). That Wilson has zero is startling. Maybe that will change against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Highmark Stadium.
6. Weary of Wilson? Wilson might not be seeing the ball in the red zone in recent weeks, but he's getting plenty of targets overall. He has 139, which ranks fifth on the team's all-time list (since 2000).
Wilson also ranks second and fourth on the list -- 167 in 2023 and 148 in 2022. In case you're wondering, Brandon Marshall (172 in 2015) and Laveranues Coles (150 in 2016) rank first and third, respectively.
It has become apparent from its comments that the team is tired of hearing the "Wilson-is-frustrated" narrative. Without directly criticizing Wilson, offensive playcaller Todd Downing repeatedly noted in his weekly news conference that the coaching staff has done "a pretty decent job" of making sure the opportunities are balanced. Rodgers, too, sounded weary of the questioning, saying he has talked with Wilson throughout the season about his frustration. You could almost hear a sigh in Rodgers' voice.
Wilson's beef isn't necessarily with the quantity of targets, but rather the quality. He has become the WR2 since Adams' arrival in Week 7. Consider: Since then, Wilson has only eight red-zone targets to Adams' 17. Wilson's overall total is also skewed by a 22-target game in October, pre-Adams.
7. MV-Who? The in-house awards (voted by the players) will be announced this week. Even though the team is only 4-11, the choice for team MVP will be interesting.
There's no clear-cut favorite, which means it could be a popularity contest. Wilson probably is having the best individual season, but will that be enough to make him the first offensive player in seven years to win it? Wouldn't it be something if he gets the award and asks for a trade in the offseason? It's possible.
Linebacker Quincy Williams was last year's winner.
8. Musical kickers: The Jets have used four different kickers, and now they're back to PK1 -- Greg Zuerlein, who returns after seven games on injured reserve (knee). He will be remembered as one of the biggest disappointments of the season, as his misses figured prominently in three losses. The season could have a different feel if Zuerlein, 37, had performed as well as he did in 2023.
He parlayed last season into a nice contract extension, which no longer looks so nice for the Jets. With a $4.8 million cap charge next season, Zuerlein could become a cap casualty.
9. Did you know? Under Ulbrich, the Jets are 2-5 in games in which they led in the fourth quarter. That's more blown leads than they had in three-plus seasons under Robert Saleh, who was 20-3 in those situations. It's a stat that accurately represents the Jets' season.
10. The Last Word: "If I see somebody who is not doing it the right way, then I'll say something. But the beauty is that everybody is watching. This is an audition for all of us." -- Rodgers on the prospect of teammates quitting on the season.
