Jets Could Save $10.5 Million in Cap Space by Cutting Starter, Says Analyst

Getty New York Jets wide receiver Corey Davis reacting in the middle of an NFL game.

The New York Jets could create a serious chunk of change this offseason.

David Kenyon of Bleacher Report wrote a column documenting the best player that could still be cut from every team in the NFL. For the Jets, he highlighted veteran wide receiver Corey Davis.

Kenyon bluntly said, “It’s impossible to ignore the $10.5 million in potential savings if Davis is cut.”

Who Do You Believe in the Jets-Corey Davis Situation?

Jets head coach Robert Saleh has said publicly on several occasions throughout this offseason that Davis “will be on the Jets this year.”

“Plans change,” Kenyon said in an article posted on Monday, May 15. “And if New York needs to find money in a hurry, this conversation will be broached again.”

However, when head coaches and general managers speak during the offseason you always have to take what they say with a grain of salt.

This is lying season and it wouldn’t behoove the Jets to reveal that they were going to cut Davis even if that was the case.

The 28-year-old wideout is entering the last year of his contract which features a $10.5 million base salary in 2023.

Corey Davis Still Has a Big Role to Play on Jets

From the outside looking in, cutting Davis makes plenty of sense.

The Jets have openly flirted with upgrading the wide receiver position (Odell Beckham Jr) and that likely would’ve spelled the end for Davis.

However, OBJ abruptly signed with the Baltimore Ravens which ended that possibility.

NFL analyst Gregg Rosenthal said Davis is “probably still the Jets’ second-best receiver” on Twitter.

He isn’t the only one that appreciates what Davis brings to the table. Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas are and have been big fans of his game.

In two seasons with the Jets, Davis has appeared in 22 games and has made 19 starts. The former Western Michigan product has caught 66 receptions for 1,028 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

Beyond the statistical achievements, Davis has proven to be a big-time leader both on and off the field.

The veteran entered the league back in 2017 as the No. 5 overall pick in the first round. When you get selected that high in a draft, massive expectations come along with that.

Candidly, Davis never lived up to that hype during his four seasons with the Tennessee Titans. He never got over the 1,000-yard plateau, struggled to stay healthy, and never seized the status as a No. 1 wide receiver at the NFL level.

Despite all that, Davis earned a very respectable contract from the Jets in free agency. During the 2021 offseason, he signed a three-year deal for $37.5 million and it featured $27 million in total guarantees.

If Gang Green decided to move on from Davis at some point this offseason, they’d only eat a minimal $666,667 dead cap hit, per Spotrac.

However, if the Jets decide to keep Davis, they love what he can bring as a run blocker. Pairing that with the 6-foot-5-sized Allen Lazard, the Jets could boast the most physical 1-2 punch at wide receiver in the NFL.