Yes. I say cut him. Purge the organization of this mistake. $400K of cap space is still 400K of cap space. There is absolutely zero chance this guy will become more than what he is. Having him inactive every week is like having salt poured on old wounds.
if in year 4 the plan is to keep him inactivated, then cut his ass right now. 400k is 400k which may be able to help us keep a role player that we need. Also purging him from the ranks, allows us to keep another young guy that we feel we can develop into a rotational player, or better. Vernon had his chances and has proven he is fucking terrible. Time to move on and do our best to forget about the mistake.
It's important to remember that, as of now, there is no cap. It would probably come back with a CBA, but it's certainly possible that next year is played without a cap, same as last year. And beyond that, there's no guarantee that 'dead money' principles would apply to contracts that are terminated while there is no cap. In a capless situation, the only effect of cutting Gholston is reducing the team's salary payout next season. It'd be a shock if he's on this team next year, a move is probably best for both the player and the team. Cromartie is my leading contender to exit among the younger players. There's a number of other good corners who'll be on the market, we've got a young first rounder who you'd hope could play like a starter in the relatively near future, and most importantly, Cromartie hardly distinguished himself as a top tier corner this season. To put it simply, while he might get a Nate Clements-style top contract if he puts himself on the market, he won't (or shouldn't) get that much here. If he wants to stay, he's going to have to accept that he's second fiddle to a much better player, and take a smaller check. I won't be shocked if it happens, certainly Rex would hate to see him go, but his game is too flawed to pay him like an elite player. I'm surprised to see some people saying Jenkins won't be back next year. I don't see the Jets putting the screws to this guy after the two years he just went through. I'm sure they'll approach him about restructuring, and maybe he'll give up some cash in exchange for another year or two, but he'll be back, and not at the minimum. Jenkins is what was missing from that game Sunday, so I can't imagine the Jets choosing not to put him out there next year. The only X factor here is if the Jets manage to sign Ngata, who I'm pretty sure Rex would kick just about anybody else out of the building to make room for, but even then, no reason not to have both if you can. The biggest question mark might be at right tackle. The Jets could save some cash by moving on from Damien Woody, but Wayne Hunter is a free agent, and could be set to land a pretty nice contract on the open market himself after the way he played down the stretch this year. My bet is Hunter starts somewhere else next year, Woody continues to start here, but this one could go either way. Harris has a franchise tag coming his way, that seems obvious. Edwards has a nice contract coming his way in a couple weeks (I'd bet somewhere around 7 mil a year), and maybe Holmes as well, if he's willing to take the same, but he may walk (remember the Jets only invested a fifth rounder in him). Shaun Ellis will take a minor deal rather than have to move for the first time in his career, recognizing the Jets can't pay him well since his age and a lack of depth around him dictate that the Jets must draft or sign somebody else at the same position. And some safety will have to hit the bricks to make room for bringing a new one in; my money's on Brodney, Smith brings more to the team with his big hits and ST play. Assuming there's NFL football next year, this team stands only to improve on paper. Richardson could retire, but we've got a young FB we like behind him. Taylor may retire, but we could stand to add some young talent at the position anyway (LaMarr Woodley and Tamba Hali are both likely FAs). The Jets have plenty of room to maneuver, and the guy who decides who stays and who goes has proven he knows what he's doing.
