AFC Notes: Raiders, Bengals, Fields
The Raiders landed PFR’s No. 1-ranked free agent, former Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum, when the negotiating window opened March 9. To reel in Linderbaum, the Raiders submitted a three-year, $81MM offer – the richest in the history of his position. Former Raiders head coach Pete Carroll wishes they would have been that aggressive in addressing their offensive line last offseason. During Carroll’s lone season in Las Vegas, the team finished 3-14 and allowed the most sacks in the NFL (64).
Discussing the Raiders’ 2025 O-line with ESPN’s Rich Cimini, Carroll observed: “Our offensive guys up front, from the last couple of years, we got murdered. We needed to upgrade that more than we did. It didn’t happen in the draft, and it didn’t happen in the offseason.”
The Raiders signed veteran interior lineman Alex Cappa for two years and $11MM last offseason, but they have already bailed on that investment. Meanwhile, third-round rookies Caleb Rogers and Charles Grant combined for just 15 appearances. Rogers started in all six games at right guard, but Grant – a tackle – was on the field for a mere 59 offensive snaps.
Now looking to further improve a line that Pro Football Focus rated as the worst in the league, the Raiders are expected to focus on the area in the draft. “They’re going to draft a tackle day one, and they’ll add a guard,” one general manager told Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom. “The line was terrible. They couldn’t (run) block or (pass) protect.”
The GM made those comments before the Raiders’ trade with the Ravens for Maxx Crosby collapsed. Had it gone through, the Raiders would have collected two first-rounders for Crosby, including the 14th overall pick this year. They are now out of the running for a Day 1 offensive tackle unless they acquire another first-rounder. The Raiders are considered shoo-ins to use their top pick, No. 1 overall, on former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
The Raiders have an established left tackle in Kolton Miller, though the 30-year-old missed 13 games in 2025 with a high ankle sprain and a hairline fracture. Miller is on schedule in his recovery, however, and should be ready for OTAs, according to Vincent Bonsignore of the California Post. Right tackle DJ Glaze has started in 31 of career 34 games, including all 17 last year, though the Raiders could attempt to upgrade on the former third-rounder in the draft.
At guard, Las Vegas lost a starter when Dylan Parham chose the Jets in free agency, but the team brought in former 49er Spencer Burford to compete for a spot. Rogers, Burford, Jackson Powers-Johnson and Jordan Meredith are all candidates for the two starting guard jobs, which could change depending on how the draft unfolds. It would be optimal for the Raiders to continue building up their line to benefit Mendoza and second-year running back Ashton Jeanty.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- There was a changing of the guard at linebacker in Cincinnati in 2025. Not only did the Bengals release Germaine Pratt prior to the season, but they traded the now-retired Logan Wilson to the Cowboys before the Nov. 4 deadline. The Wilson swap came after rookies Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter took over as the Bengals’ primary linebackers. Considering the Bengals have not made any notable moves at the position this offseason, it appears Knight and Carter will continue to lead their LBs in 2026, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic writes. Kaden Elliss and Leo Chenal were among potential free agent options, but the Bengals did not aggressively pursue either player, according to Dehner. Elliss signed with the Saints on a three-year, $33MM deal, while Chenal took the Commanders’ three-year, $24.75MM offer.
- Quarterback Justin Fields would have played 2026 on a $20MM base salary had there been no adjustments to the two-year, $40MM pact the Jets gave him last offseason. Instead, after the Jets traded Fields to the Chiefs for a sixth-rounder on Monday, he will earn $11MM. The Jets will give Fields an $8MM signing bonus, while the Chiefs will pay his fully guaranteed $3MM salary, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
- Wide receiver Jalen Tolbert‘s one-year pact with the Dolphins is a veteran salary benefit deal worth $1.4MM, including $1.26MM in guarantees, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 relays. Despite the minor investment, the former Cowboy could play a big role in a Miami receiving corps that no longer includes the traded Jaylen Waddle or the released Tyreek Hill. Tolbert put up career highs with 49 catches, 610 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024, but his numbers plummeted last season thanks to the Cowboys’ addition of George Pickens.
Jets To Trade QB Justin Fields To Chiefs
As expected, Justin Fields‘ time in New York is coming to an end. A trade has been worked out which will send him from the Jets to the Chiefs, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. 
This trade will include a late-round pick swap. The Jets are dealing Fields and a seventh-round pick to the Chiefs in exchange for a sixth-round pick, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network notes. The sixth-rounder is in the 2027 draft, per colleague Tom Pelissero.
New York is retaining salary to facilitate this deal, SNY’s Connor Hughes reports. Per Pelissero, the Jets are taking on $7MM of the $10MM Fields was already guaranteed for the 2026 season. That will make him a cost-effective backup for the Chiefs, a team in need of insurance under center. Patrick Mahomes continues to recover from an ACL tear, leaving his Week 1 availability in question.
Gardner Minshew was in place as Kansas City’s backup, but he departed last week by agreeing to a free agent deal with the Cardinals. Fields will now be able to handle first-team reps through the offseason while Mahomes recovers. Other teams were interested in the former Bear and Steeler, per Schefter. He adds, however, that Fields’ preference was to join the Chiefs. With an immediate path to practice time in place with respect to Kansas City, that comes as no surprise.
For the Jets, a Fields departure was made even more likely once a reunion with Geno Smith was worked out. New York traded for Smith last week, and his contract was also reworked as part of the deal. The Jets will only be responsible for $3.3MM of Smith’s compensation for 2026. Paying out a larger figure has allowed for a parting of ways in Fields’ case, something which seemed inevitable once his brief tenure atop the depth chart came to an end.
The former first-rounder secured $30MM guaranteed on a two-year free agent deal last spring. Fields served as New York’s starter for nine contests, averaging less than 140 passing yards per game with a career-low 6.2 yards per attempt average. He managed 383 rushing yards and four scores on the ground, but Fields and the Jets’ passing game was the subject of public criticism from owner Woody Johnson before head coach Aaron Glenn decided to bench him. Tyrod Taylor and Brady Cook saw time afterwards; Taylor is unsigned but Cook and Bailey Zappe are still in place for the Jets.
The cap savings ($11MM) and dead money charges ($12MM) generated by this trade are essentially a wash for New York. Kansas City, meanwhile, entered Monday with roughly $10MM in cap space – nowhere near as much as the Jets. Taking on Fields at a highly reduced rate will be key for the Chiefs as they sort out their QB depth chart. Fields will join Mahomes, Chris Oladokun and Jake Haener as signal-callers in Kansas City. The Ohio State product has expressed confidence he can still operate as a starter, and the opportunity to do so on a short-term basis may present itself in 2026.
QB-Needy Teams Have Options Through Draft, Free Agency
It’s really not a surprise at this point in time, but reports indicate that Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza getting drafted No. 1 overall by the Raiders is all but a sure thing. Mendoza cemented himself as the likely first overall pick even before the Hoosiers’ championship run through the College Football Playoff secured his Heisman win, and as soon as Las Vegas secured the top pick in the draft, Mendoza’s move to Nevada became a near certainty. 
Nothing is ever 100% sure, though, and there is always a possibility that the Raiders look at next year’s wide crop of quarterback prospects and an historic trade offer for the No. 1 overall pick and choose that route.
Overwhelmingly, though, pundits across the media spectrum believe that Vegas will retain their top overall pick and make things official with Mendoza. During an appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer dropped a number of quotes, saying, “I would be stunned if (Mendoza) didn’t go No. 1, right? I think it’s highly unlikely he goes anywhere but Vegas.”
Over at ESPN, a crew of reporters polled several NFL executives on the topic at the Senior Bowl, Shrine Bowl, and Super Bowl, and eight executives believed the Raiders would keep the pick, while no votes were tallied against that possibility. Separately, ESPN’s Rich Cimini asked Jets general manager Darren Mougey about the possibility of reaching out to Vegas to inquire about moving up, and he stated pretty plainly, “I don’t think that’s happening.” Courtney Cronin, another ESPN contributor, added to the crowd yesterday with a piece on Mendoza’s meeting with the Raiders and his excitement at the prospect of potentially being mentored by minority team owner Tom Brady.
Now, for teams with a need at quarterback not located in Sin City, the other obvious solutions are to go after one of the top free agent quarterbacks available — namely, Green Bay’s Malik Willis or Indianapolis’ Daniel Jones — or attempt to trade for San Francisco’s Mac Jones. After impressive 2025 contributions, both Joneses are expected to stay home, though, and only one team will get to claim Willis as a solution, but there is still a solvable equation for the teams that remain.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the teams that are still looking to acquire a passer after the above dust settles will be able to look toward either the litany of veteran quarterbacks with starting experience available for cheap or the numerous rookie passers who may be worth taking a flyer on or some combination of both.
Rapoport points to several veteran former starters who are thought to be release candidates and who may, in the same vein as Russell Wilson, be able to play for the veteran minimum, thanks to the added security of guaranteed money from the teams who may let them go. This situation would apply to players like Kirk Cousins, Kyler Murray, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Fields, and Geno Smith.
Teams can sign one of these quarterbacks to audition for a Jones-like comeback opportunity then pair them with a young, rookie option that may be available later on in the 2026 NFL Draft. After Mendoza, Alabama’s Ty Simpson has drawn some first-round interest, but there is a perceived drop off in the arms that follow. The next names on the list — LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Miami’s Carson Beck, Penn State’s Drew Allar, etc. — could fall anywhere in the draft.
Some see 2026 much like the 2022 NFL Draft, in which Kenny Pickett was the only Day 1 quarterback, and the next passer was taken in the third round. Others believe 2026 could be more like 2018 or 2024, when two passers were widely viewed as first-round talents but several others drifted into the first round based on the number of teams looking for answers at the position.
With many already looking forward to the quarterback prospects of the 2027 NFL Draft, we may see multiple teams opt to employ the services of a veteran starter alone or combined with a promising rookie. These decisions will play out over the next few weeks as the veterans hit free agency after release and draft grades are determined for rookies, but there are several options available to teams looking for quarterback help for 2026.
Jets Place Justin Fields On IR
Jets quarterback Justin Fields‘ first (and likely lone) season with the organization will end on injured reserve. The Jets have placed Fields on IR with a knee injury, head coach Aaron Glenn announced (via Rich Cimini of ESPN).
Fields went 11th overall to the Bears in the 2021 draft, but he was unable to establish himself as their long-awaited answer under center. He spent 2024 in Pittsburgh and mostly worked as a backup behind Russell Wilson. The Jets’ new regime of Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey saw enough positives to hand Fields a two-year, $40MM contract in free agency last March. The deal came with $30MM in guarantees. It will go down as a regrettable investment, though, with the Jets “likely” to release Fields by the middle of March, according to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports.
Fields started in six of the Jets’ first seven games this year. His only absence came as a result of a concussion that kept him out of a loss to the Buccaneers in Week 3. Fields struggled when healthy, though, and Glenn pulled him for Tyrod Taylor in a 13-6 loss to the Panthers in Week 7. Owner Woody Johnson publicly criticized Fields’ performance the next day.
“It looks like (Glenn) is turning around part of it,” Johnson said on Oct. 21 (via the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy). “It’s hard when you have a quarterback with the rating that we’ve got. He has the ability, but something is not jiving. If you look at any head coach with a quarterback like that, you are going to similar results across the league. You have to play consistently at that position and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”
In the wake of Johnson’s comments, it appeared Glenn would start Taylor over Fields in a Week 8 matchup in Cincinnati. However, a knee injury to Taylor prevented that from happening. Fields wound up enjoying one of his most productive passing days of the season in a 39-38 win. The 26-year-old completed 21 of 32 attempts for 244 yards and a touchdown.
Fields was unable to build on his strong showing against the Bengals in a post-bye, special teams-driven win over the Browns in Week 10. After a loss to the Patriots the next week, Glenn pulled the plug on Fields and replaced him with Taylor. It turns out that was Fields’ last appearance of 2025.
Over nine games (all starts), Fields connected on 62.7% of passes, averaged 6.2 yards per attempt, and threw seven touchdowns against one interception. Although Fields put up a passable 89.5 rating, his 37.3 QBR ranks 28th among 32 qualifiers. As has typically been the case, the mobile Fields was more a threat on the ground than through the air this year. He ran for 383 yards, posted a robust 5.4 YPC, and added four more TDs.
Like Fields, Taylor hasn’t been any kind of solution for the Jets this season. Now 3-12, they’ve started undrafted rookie Brady Cook in back-to-back games (both losses). Cook, who will start again versus New England on Sunday, could finish out the season as the Jets’ starter. Not long after the campaign ends, the Jets may wave goodbye to Fields and Taylor, a soon-to-be free agent. While Fields expects to garner more starting opportunities in the future, another chance will likely have to come with a different organization.
Matt Nagy Considered ‘Serious Candidate’ For Titans’ HC Job
Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy is considered a “serious candidate” for the Titans head coaching job, per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
Ironically, Chiefs are playing in Tennessee on Sunday. The Titans cannot discuss their head coaching vacancy with Nagy, but he will get an up-close look at the roster he would inherit if he gets the job.
Nagy, 47, has been the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator for the last three seasons. He has worked under Andy Reid for virtually all of his NFL coaching career, starting in Philadelphia in 2008. Nagy followed Reid to Kansas City in 2013 as the team’s quarterbacks coach and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2016. He took over play-calling at the end of the 2017 season and was hired by the Bears as their head coach in the subsequent offseason.
In his debut season in Chicago, Nagy led the Bears to a 12-4 record and a first-place finish in the NFC North. Those are still the team’s best results since 2006, though the 2025 Bears could reach 13 wins this season.
Nagy’s Bears regressed in his next three years with two seasons at 8-8, and a 6-11 finish in 2021 was enough to get him fired. He returned to Kansas City as a senior offensive assistant and took over as offensive coordinator after Eric Bieniemy‘s departure.
The Chiefs offense statistically got worse under Nagy. After six straight years with top-six finishes in both points score and total offense, they have not been able to reach the same heights in either category since. Instead, Kansas City’s runs to the Super Bowl in 2023 and 2024 were largely powered by their top-10 defense.
Nagy’s top priority in Tennessee would be developing No. 1 pick Cam Ward, but he does not have a strong history with young quarterbacks. Mitch Trubisky put up a career-best season under Nagy in 2018, but could not replicate those results in the next two seasons. Justin Fields looked lost as a rookie in Nagy’s final year in Chicago, and upon returning to Kansas City, he immediately got to work with a veteran Patrick Mahomes.
The Titans are also expected to reach out to several defensive coordinators, per Russini, including Lou Anarumo (Colts), Jeff Hafley (Packers), Anthony Campanile (Jaguars), Chris Shula (Rams), Matt Burke (Texans), and Jesse Minter (Chargers). However, hiring a defensive head coach with the intention to bring in a young offensive coordinator to work with Ward runs the risk of that OC being poached by another team as their head coach.
Jets To Start Brady Cook In Week 16, Sign Hendon Hooker
Despite impending returns from Justin Fields and/or Tyrod Taylor, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn announced on Wednesday that undrafted rookie quarterback Brady Cook will make his second straight start in Week 16.
Fields began the season as the starter and seemed to be headed for the bench midway through the season. An injury to Taylor kept Fields in the lineup for a few more weeks, but Taylor eventually took over in Week 12.
With Fields nursing a knee injury in Week 14, Cook stepped into the backup role. Then, when Taylor went down with a knee injury of his own, Cook finished the game, albeit with a 46.7% completion percentage and two interceptions. With neither of the veterans available in Week 15, Cook made his first career start with Adrian Martinez serving as the backup.
Cook completed 22 of his 33 passes against the Jaguars last Sunday, but they only went for 176 yards (5.3 yards per attempt) and one touchdown. He also threw three interceptions after two in his NFL debut the week before. Overall, Cook has completed just 57.1% of his passes with 5.4 yards per attempt and a 44.3 passer rating.
Regardless, the Jets are sticking with the Missouri product for Week 16. Taylor and Fields were limited participants in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but even if one is ready to play on Sunday, they will back up Cook.
Martinez was re-signed by the 49ers earlier this week, so the Jets signed former Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker to their practice squad. The 2023 third-round pick will be elevated to the game day roster if neither Fields nor Taylor are available for Sunday’s matchup with the Saints.
Jets Rule Out QB Justin Fields For Week 14
The Jets ruled out quarterback Justin Fields due to knee soreness, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
Head coach Aaron Glenn said that Fields reported the issue on Wednesday. He was a limited practice participant on Thursday, but his knee did not respond well enough to play this weekend.
Fields began the season as the Jets’ starting quarterback but was demoted to the backup job after several disappointing performances. Tyrod Taylor has started the last two games and is expected to do so for the rest of the season.
With Fields sidelined, rookie Brady Cook will back up Taylor on Sunday. He has been elevated from the practice squad for the same role twice this season but has not played a snap. The undrafted free agent out of Missouri will likely use up his third elevation on Sunday. The Jets could also clear a spot on their 53-man roster and sign Cook from the practice squad.
This is the second injury to sideline Fields this year. He missed Week 3 with a concussion, but has otherwise stayed healthy enough to play.
His performance, however, has not been up to par for a starter. He is averaging just 139.9 passing yard, the third-lowest mark among qualified starters. He has protected the ball through the air with only one pick and a league-low 0.5% interception rate, but he also fumbled the ball four times.
Fields’ tenure in New York is poised to end after a disappointing debut year. The Jets have been willing to eat a massive amount of dead cap space in the last few years and could do so again with the $10MM in guarantees remaining on Fields’ deal. He will then look for a new team, but after two attempts as a reclamation project, he may not get another chance at a starter. At a minimum, he will likely need to fight for a starting job in training camp.
Jets GM Darren Mougey Has Scouted QBs Fernando Mendoza, Dante Moore In Person; Latest On Team’s 2026 QB Plans
If the season ended today, the 2-9 Jets would hold the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 draft. Even if they do not end up with that pick – and it is certainly feasible they lose enough games down the stretch to find themselves even higher on the draft board – they should be in prime position to select one of next year’s top quarterback prospects.
To that end, GM Darren Mougey has scouted Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Oregon’s Dante Moore in person, as ESPN’s Rich Cimini writes. Unfortunately for Mougey, the 2026 class of signal-callers, once viewed as a promising one, has seen its stock drop over the course of the 2025 season.
Mendoza has been among the most impressive collegiate QBs and is viewed by many as the top prospect likely to declare for the 2026 draft. Although the game that Mougey attended featured Mendoza leading a dramatic, game-winning drive against Penn State, opinions are split on his ceiling at the NFL level. Moore, meanwhile, is only 20 and could benefit from another year of development in the college ranks.
If players like Moore, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, and Texas’ Arch Manning decide to stay in school for one more season, that will strengthen a 2027 class that is already set to include Florida’s DJ Lagway and Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola. We had heard one of the reasons Mougey was willing to accept a 2027 first-round pick from the Cowboys in this month’s Quinnen Williams trade was because of his belief that the ‘27 draft class offers more promise than its ‘26 counterpart. So, while the first-year GM is obviously doing his due diligence, he may wait another year to make a high-end draft investment in a QB (though Cimini says in a separate piece that there is “growing buzz” in league circles connecting Mendoza to the Jets).
Whether it is Mendoza or someone else, Cimini thinks the Jets will add a rookie QB in the 2026 draft, and he also believes Mougey will acquire a veteran passer. Despite the fact that Justin Fields’ 2026 salary includes $10MM in guaranteed money, Cimini indicates Mougey will likely release the recently-demoted signal-caller – which jibes with previous reports on the matter – and will not try to re-sign his replacement, Tyrod Taylor.
As per usual, the 2026 crop of free agents offers little by way of starting-caliber quarterbacks, and the one that does qualify as such, Daniel Jones, may not make it to free agency. Mougey could therefore look to the trade market to acquire a bridge passer, and Cimini names Kyler Murray, Mac Jones, and Kirk Cousins as potential targets (Murray and Jones, at least, could also be in the Vikings’ crosshairs).
UDFA rookie Brady Cook has spent most of the year on the Jets’ practice squad, though he has been elevated on several occasions to operate as a backup (he has not, however, seen any regular season game action). In response to a question about whether Cook would get into a game in 2025, head coach Aaron Glenn conceded it was a possibility, but he offered no guarantees.
Jets QB Justin Fields Anticipates Future Starting Opportunities
Justin Fields did not meet expectations during his tenure atop the depth chart with the Jets. The free agent addition was benched in favor of Tyrod Taylor for Week 12, casting doubt over his future in New York.
Fields has only thrown one interception through nine starts in 2025, although he has done so while averaging a career-low 6.2 yards per attempt and completing less than 63% of his passes. The 26-year-old has added 383 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, but that did not quell speculation about Taylor taking over weeks before he received the QB1 spot. In spite of that, Fields believes he will receive another look as an NFL starter.
“Of course. Yes, sir,” he said when speaking to the media for the first time since being demoted to backup duties (via ESPN’s Rich Cimini). “I mean, I just know who I am as a person, as a football player, as a hard worker. I think I know I have the mindset and the skill to attain that. I just feel like I need to do it on a more consistent basis, but that’s just what it is.”
Fields added he “did not anticipate it whatsoever” when asked about his benching. The Jets went 2-7 with him at the helm, and the former first-rounder led a passing attack which drew public criticism from owner Woody Johnson and currently ranks last in the NFL. The absence of wideout Garrett Wilson has played a role in New York’s struggles on that front, but Fields’ performances have certainly left plenty to be desired.
After being traded away by the Bears last offseason, an injury to Russell Wilson allowed Fields to serve as the Steelers’ starter for the first six weeks of the campaign. Pittsburgh went 4-2 in that period, but Wilson operated as the team’s QB1 the rest of the way. On the open market, Fields secured $30MM guaranteed on a two-year Jets contract, one which seemed to put him on track to spend at least one season atop the depth chart.
Instead, Taylor is expected to remain the Jets’ starter for the rest of the campaign. Especially if that proves to be the case, it will be interesting to see how things proceed between Fields and the team. The Ohio State product is owed $20MM in base salary for 2026, half of which is already guaranteed. As such, the possibility exists he could be retained as a backup behind a rookie added early in April’s draft. Fields declined to comment on that hypothetical situation.
Of course, there are plenty of unanswered questions at this point with respect to the 2026 QB market. Other openings will no doubt exist around the league, but it will be interesting to see if Fields receives serious consideration for a starting spot given how 2025 has played out.
Jets’ Benching Of QB Justin Fields Seen As Permanent
The Jets’ benching of Justin Fields is “not expected to be temporary,” per ESPN’s Dan Graziano. Barring injury, Tyrod Taylor is slated to start for the rest of the 2025 season, and Fields is likely to leave New York this offseason.
The Jets believe it will be easier to evaluate their young pass-catchers – particularly rookie tight end Mason Taylor and wideouts John Metchie and Adonai Mitchell – with Tyrod Taylor under center. The 36-year-old quarterback is more willing to play within the structure of the offense as opposed to Fields, who is more liable to hold onto the ball, throw a check down to a running back, or take off on a scramble. Though Taylor has three interceptions in 69 attempts compared to Fields’ one in 204 attempts, the Jets are willing to weather the risk of interception in exchange for more opportunities for their skill players.
The team is also planning to find a new quarterback this offseason, whether it be a rookie draft pick or another veteran acquisition. The draft from the Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams trades has given New York enough draft capital to land nearly any available passer in the offseason.
The Jets are also expected to part ways with Fields after the 2025 season concludes. $10MM of his $20MM salary in 2026 is guaranteed; between that and his poor performance, he is unlikely to draw trade interest and will likely be released as a post-June 1 cut. That would save $10MM against the Jets’ 2026 salary cap with a $13MM dead cap charge with another $9MM of dead money in 2027. However, the team has more than $70MM of dead money to account for next year, per OverTheCap, including $35MM from Aaron Rodgers, $11MM from Gardner, and $9.8MM from Williams. The Jets may prefer to push as much dead cap from Fields’ deal into 2027.
They could do so by converting his remaining guaranteed salary into a signing bonus and prorating it across the remainder of his contract. The Jets’ 2026 savings would stay at $10MM, but only $5MM of Fields’ dead money would hit with the remaining $17MM being pushed to 2027. Fields’ deal already has four void years built in, suggesting that the team wanted to have this contract option in case 2025 went poorly, which it did.
The first three void years were used to prorate his signing bonus, while the fourth was left empty in case of a 2026 restructure. Adding a void year to a contract, even for purposes of a restructure, requires player consent, which Fields may not give. Instead, general manager Darren Mougey designed his deal to ensure that the Jets had more flexibility after the 2025 season.
It almost feels like Mougey and new head coach Aaron Glenn saw 2025 as a reset year in New York. They took a chance on Fields without too hefty of a commitment; once it became clear that he was not the Jets’ long-term quarterback, they pivoted to blow up the core of their roster. Now, they have enough draft capital to acquire a quarterback and the opportunity to complete rebuild the Jets from the ground up.