New York Jets: 2018 NFL Free Agency preview, predictions

Salary cap breakdown

The Jets are in one of the best cap situations going into free agency. After the Cleveland Browns trade frenzy, the Jets now sit with the most cap space available with $90.6 million to spend (via Spotrac).

The Jets have a lot of holes to fill and a lot of money to fill them with. Even with re-signing their own free agents, they could still have $75-$80 million to spend.

The salary cap space is a double-edge sword, though. It means your team is limited in terms of talent. So top free agents may not want to make their home in MetLife Stadium knowing what the roster holds. It’s going to take some convincing, but the Jets should use their cap space as a lure to get them to come, because more cap space means more free agents can come here.

Ultimately, how they use the cap will be the determining factor in the fate of Mike Maccagnan and Todd Bowles. They’re going to have to work out the strategy that gets the top guys they need into town. Without that, the Jets could be looking for a new head coach and general manager in the first year of the contract extension.