Taking a look at the top 10 New York Jets under contract in 2026, NFL salary cap projections and the team’s highest-paid players.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: The New York Jets were again one of the more putrid and underachieving teams in the NFL and are looking to rebuild completely. Starting the season with low expectations, the Jets still found a way to let their fans down. Neither side of the ball looked like it was ever at an NFL level, and the team traded away their two star players in Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. With so much needing to be shored up before the next season kicks off, the Jets need to be active in NFL Free Agency once again.
Below, we will take a look at the 10 best players that the New York Jets still have under contract for next season. We will also look at NFL salary cap projections and the top cap hits on the team in 2026.
All New England Patriots salary cap data below is accurate as of February 22nd, 2026.
10 Best New York Jets Under Contract in 2026
These are the 10 best players the New York Jets still have under contract for the 2026 season, in the order of their current salary cap hit. It’s important to note that this list is looking at their top players, not necessarily their highest-paid players, as that sometimes doesn’t always overlap.
- Justin Fields, QB ($23M)
- Jermaine Johnson, EDGE ($13.4M)
- Garrett Wilson, WR ($10.1M)
- Harrison Phillips, DL ($7.5M)
- Armand Membou, RT ($7.3M)
- Olu Fashanu, LT ($5.6M)
- Josh Myers, C ($5.3M)
- Will McDonald, EDGE ($5.2M)
- Mazi Smith, DL ($2.6M)
- Mason Taylor, TE ($2.4M)
Highest New York Jets Cap Hits in 2026
As things stand today, here is a list of the 10 highest player hits against the New York Jets’ salary cap in 2026. Obviously, contracts can be manipulated, and a player could be cut or traded as well. In the case a player would be released, we have listed a player’s dead cap, which indicates how much money they would count against the cap should they be cut.
- QB, Justin Fields, $23M, ($22M dead cap)
- CB, Brandon Stephens, $14M, ($19.5M)
- EDGE, Jermaine Johnson, $13.4M, ($13.4M)
- LB, Jamien Sherwood, $11.5M, ($24.4M)
- WR, Garrett Wilson, $10.1M, ($34.3M)
- DL, Harrison Phillips, $7.5M, ($0)
- OT, Armand Membou, $7.3M, ($26.1M)
- OT, Olu Fashanu, $5.6M, ($12.1M)
- C, Josh Myers, $5.3M, ($4.3M)
- EDGE, Will McDonald, $5.2M, ($5.2M)
NFL Salary Cap Projections 2026
The league has informed teams that the 2026 NFL salary cap will be between $301.2 million and $305.7 million per team. Below, we will assume a salary cap of $303.45 million, using data from Spotrac.
| Rk | TM | Current Players | Cap Space | Dead Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TEN | 52 | $97,776,638 | $5,135,657 |
| 2 | LV | 49 | $87,821,212 | $35,238,302 |
| 3 | LAC | 52 | $82,100,325 | $478,183 |
| 4 | NYJ | 51 | $78,990,889 | $88,996,619 |
| 5 | WAS | 52 | $66,506,531 | $12,592,731 |
| 6 | SEA | 57 | $63,421,971 | $483,724 |
| 7 | CIN | 63 | $52,675,496 | $11,248,222 |
| 8 | PIT | 60 | $44,768,173 | $7,934,338 |
| 9 | LAR | 53 | $44,390,412 | $8,570,436 |
| 10 | IND | 60 | $34,952,488 | $2,093,644 |
| 11 | NE | 64 | $34,800,699 | $20,364,345 |
| 12 | ARI | 59 | $32,813,790 | $14,951,854 |
| 13 | ATL | 50 | $26,181,296 | $4,660,354 |
| 14 | DEN | 55 | $26,033,090 | $1,218,922 |
| 15 | BAL | 48 | $22,673,001 | $12,262,715 |
| 16 | SF | 59 | $22,453,414 | $36,327,740 |
| 17 | TB | 52 | $14,479,885 | $253,922 |
| 18 | CAR | 54 | $9,875,093 | $14,607,844 |
| 19 | NYG | 58 | $7,030,099 | $216,988 |
| 20 | PHI | 56 | $3,679,036 | $53,387,574 |
| 21 | MIA | 52 | -$3,699,267 | $73,949,385 |
| 22 | GB | 66 | -$4,344,831 | $17,171,715 |
| 23 | HOU | 54 | -$8,042,142 | $39,318,780 |
| 24 | DET | 49 | -$9,151,960 | $9,287,290 |
| 25 | CHI | 53 | -$9,503,349 | $917,995 |
| 26 | JAX | 61 | -$12,074,552 | $50,977,118 |
| 27 | KC | 54 | -$14,403,869 | $215,642 |
| 28 | BUF | 59 | -$15,187,073 | $30,093,166 |
| 29 | CLE | 55 | -$19,541,898 | $39,763,849 |
| 30 | DAL | 54 | -$25,890,723 | $24,344,178 |
| 31 | MIN | 54 | -$40,632,414 | $5,608,074 |
| 32 | NO | 66 | -$41,774,364 | $90,590,412 |
