4 Veterans the New York Jets Must Part with Before 2015 Season

Hope reigns supreme in the offseason, with every NFL team having a seemingly even chance at getting to the Super Bowl. But when it rains, it pours, and there will be various types of precipitation in the coming weeks. 

With the 2015 free-agency frenzy in full swing, a lot of the focus will be square on the players who are signing with new teams. That being said, there are plenty of other moves still to be made. Some of those moves will include the release of some notable veterans as teams try to create cap space to bring in other players.

Whether those moves are made in an effort to create salary cap space, or create an opportunity for a younger player to earn some playing time, the cold truth of life in the NFL is that no matter how safe you feel, you never truly are safe.

Here are a handful of New York Jets players who should be watching over their shoulder in the coming days and weeks.

Calvin Pace

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You can practically set your watch by stories of Calvin Pace's potential as a salary-cap casualty. It seems we're having the same discussion about Pace each year. At 34 years old, Pace's best days are clearly behind him, and it's time for the Jets to begin considering younger options at the position.

Pace is set for a $2.25 million cap hit, according to OverTheCap.com, but the Jets would get back $2.125 million on the cap by releasing him—nothing to sneeze at, but certainly nothing to ignore either. The Jets have plenty of cap space as we speak, boasting more than $43 million in potential spending money, but Pace's $2.125 million could be parlayed into a contract for a prize free agent—Darrelle Revis, anyone?

With 10 sacks in 2013 and five sacks in 2014, it looks on paper as if Pace still has something to offer to an organization. That being said, most of his production has been a product of playing alongside so many talented linemen in the likes of Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson and Damon Harrison.  

It's time to give a younger defender the opportunity to benefit from the play of the players around him. Youngsters like Trevor Reilly and Ikemefuna Enemkpali could duke it out for the opportunity to start in the Jets defense in training camp. 

Jason Babin

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Year after year, the Jets have put duct tape over their problems at the outside linebacker position. If their yearly salary-cap dance with Calvin Pace hasn't been indication enough, perhaps the signing of Jason Babin could serve as an example of the Jets' defiance toward developing young talent on the edge of the front seven. 

That being said, both Pace and Babin are 34 years old, and neither one is going to get any better. Todd Bowles is like MacGyver on defense, able to put a pass rush together with paper clips, a ball of yarn and a tea pot, but why "get by" when the Jets could be getting better?

Babin logged only two sacks in 2014, tied with the 2008 season for the fewest sacks in a season in his 11-year career. With a $1.625 million cap hit in 2015, according to OverTheCap.com, Babin is hardly hamstringing the Jets' opportunity to sign other free agents, but they would certainly welcome the $1.5 million in cap savings they would gain by releasing him.

And while his financial burden may not be too heavy to bear, the Jets create an obstacle in the path of their own long-term development by keeping Babin in the fold. 

Breno Giacomini

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The surprise factor was not present when the Jets signed free-agent right tackle Breno Giacomini away from the Seattle Seahawks. Former GM John Idzik had worked with the group that scouted Giacomini coming over from the Green Bay Packers, but unfortunately for the Jets, neither Idzik nor Giacomini brought the Seahawks' winning ways with them.

In 2014, Giacomini was one of 18 linemen who allowed 40 or more total pressures on the quarterback, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Jets signed Giacomini to a four-year, $18 million contract last offseason with $7 million fully guaranteed. They could save $750,000 by cutting him, but if they designate him as a post-June 1 cut, they could save $2 million, according to OverTheCap.com. Releasing him this offseason would also allow the Jets to save every penny of his $5.125 million cap hits for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. 

The problem is, the Jets would be immediately searching for a starting right tackle—and their own depth chart doesn't offer much promise on that front. But if they don't release Giacomini and his play doesn't improve, they may be searching for a new right tackle sooner than later anyway.

T.J. Graham

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One player who may have done a happy dance when the Jets brought on Chan Gailey as their offensive coordinator: wide receiver T.J. Graham.

The Buffalo Bills made Graham a third-round pick when Gailey was still their head coach, and while the North Carolina State speedster has yet to make an imprint in the NFL, Gailey's arrival could mean another chance for Graham to prove his worth to an NFL offense.

That being said, with so many changes already taking place in the Jets offense—particularly at wide receiver—who knows how many opportunities there will be for Graham once the Jets are done handing out snaps to the likes of Eric Decker, Brandon Marshall and Jeremy Kerley.

Graham caught only three passes for 87 yards and a touchdown in 2014, despite playing 92 snaps on passing downs, according to ProFootballFocus.com. Graham's primary role was special teams, and so the Jets may have no choice but to keep him in the fold for his ability to contribute on those all-important field position plays. 

Unless otherwise noted, all salary-cap and contract information provided by OverTheCap.com.