Aaron Rodgers, Justin Fields Headline Jets' Top Salary Cap Hits for 2026 NFL Season

The New York Jets are currently set to spend a quarter of their 2026 salary cap on three departed players and one who might be leaving the franchise this offseason.

The Jets are set to spend a combined $55.8 million in dead money on Aaron Rodgers ($35 million), Sauce Gardner ($11 million) and Quinnen Williams ($9.8 million) next season, per Spotrac.

Rodgers signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers last offseason, while Gardner and Williams were sent via midseason trades to the Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys, respectively.

The highest cap hit on the Jets' active roster, meanwhile, belongs to Justin Fields ($23 million), according to Spotrac.

ESPN's Rich Cimini recently reported it is "likely" the Jets will release Fields this offseason, despite the fact that the quarterback already has $10 million in 2026 salary guaranteed, per Spotrac.

Cutting Fields before June 1 would leave the Jets on the hook for $22 million in dead money ($1 million in cap savings), while designating him as a post-June 1 release would leave the Jets with $13 million in dead money ($10 million in cap savings), per the Over the Cap.

Either move would leave the Jets paying more than $66 million, or about 20 percent of next season's projected $304 million cap, for four players who would no longer be playing for the franchise.

The Jets are still currently set to have $83.5 million in cap space next season, good for the fourth most in the NFL, per Spotrac.

They also have $75.6 million in total dead cap commitments, the second most in the league behind only the New Orleans Saints, according to Spotrac.

General manager Darren Mougey will look to land big on his 11 picks in the 2026 draft, including the No. 2 overall selection, in order to bring in new players on affordable contracts as the Jets prepare to rebuild their roster around those dead cap restrictions next season.