As of Monday, the Jets now find themselves with an extra 11 million dollars in cap space, as Trumaine Johnson's post-June 1 release designation finally kicked in.

But don't expect any of that extra cap space to go towards bringing in Pro Bowl pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney.

According to ESPN's Rich Cimini, the Jets "never had serious interest" in signing Clowney, and the extra cap money won't be changing that stance.

From a pure sack production standpoint, Clowney had a down year with Seattle in 2019, mustering just 3.0 sacks, the lowest output since his rookie season in which he played just four games. But at 27 years old, Clowney is still looking for a long-term deal, though he hasn't been able to find a suitor to this point in the offseason.

SNY Insider Ralph Vacchiano has previously noted that the Jets and Clowney just never seemed to align in terms of contract value, as Clowney's 12 sacks over the last two seasons didn't seem to warrant the massive deal he's looking to secure.

Video: FNNY: What will be the impact of these new Jets?

General manager Joe Douglas has done a lot to rebuild the Jets' roster this offseason, spending a good amount of assets on strengthening what's been a very porous offensive line. But pass-rushing still looks to be an issue for the Jets. They brought back Jordan Jenkins, the team's 2019 leader in sacks, on a one-year deal, but as a team last season, the Jets' 35 sacks ranked 23rd out of 32 NFL teams.

As noted earlier this week, the Jets now have more than $24 million dollars in cap space, and there's plenty of ways they could use that, such as bringing in another veteran like Logan Ryan to help build the roster.

ESPN also points out that perhaps the Jets could use the money to help in other areas, such as wide receiver, noting that a possible trade with Philadelphia for Alshon Jeffery, who seems to no longer be a fit with the Eagles, could make sense given the extra cap.

Another possibility could be Douglas and company finally agreeing to a new contract with stud safety Jamal Adams, though Gang Green has seemed content with holding off on that, since Adams will be under team control for the next two seasons anyway.

Popular in the Community