As it turns out, the Jets still likely will cut left tackle Ryan Clady next week.
That’s because Clady’s latest, updated contract information does include a 2017 option clause that the Jets must exercise (or not exercise, if they cut him) by Feb. 15, next Wednesday — the 22nd day prior to the start of the 2017 NFL year. The league year begins on March 9.
A league source confirmed this information, which was first reported by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
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A report late last month from ESPN’s Field Yates stated the Jets no longer had the February option clause deadline for Clady, so they could wait until the end of training camp, if they wanted, to make a keep-or-cut decision on him.
Sometimes, contract information in the NFLPA’s database can change to include other details, which explains the mixup. Clady’s initial contract with the Jets included the Feb. 15 option clause. Even though Clady restructured his deal Dec. 21, the clause remained, as it turns out.
So what does the Feb. 15 option clause deadline mean?
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If the Jets exercise the option — and they probably won’t — then Clady will receive a fully guaranteed $1 million roster bonus on the third day of the league year (March 11). Clady’s base salary in 2017 would be $10 million, but none of that money is guaranteed.
Bottom line: If the Jets are going to cut Clady — and they probably will — then they’ll make that decision by next Wednesday, in order to owe him no money for 2017.
Cutting Clady would obviously mean the Jets needing to find a new left tackle, but it would also create $9.4 million in salary cap space, with just $600,000 in dead money attached.
The Jets traded for Clady last offseason to replace the retiring, remarkably durable D’Brickashaw Ferguson. But Clady was a disappointment in 2016, when he lasted just half the season before landing on injured reserve.
Clady, who turns 31 in September, has been hampered by injuries in recent seasons. He was limited to two games in 2013 with the Broncos, because of a foot fracture. After playing a full season in 2014 and making the Pro Bowl, he didn’t play in 2015, because of an ACL tear.
Last season, he played in nine games (with eight starts) for the Jets before a torn rotator cuff put him on IR.
In the bigger picture, the Jets need to get younger on their offensive line. Clady, entering the final year of his contract in 2017, isn’t a long-term solution, even if he bucks the odds and returns next season.
The Jets also are expected to cut right tackle Breno Giacomini, limited last year by a back injury. The move would create $4.5 million in cap space, with $625,000 in dead money attached. Giacomini turns 32 in September. He is no longer an effective player.
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When Clady went on IR last season, the Jets replaced him with Ben Ijalana, a career backup who turns 28 in August. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March.
Ijalana isn’t an elite left tackle, but if the Jets cut Clady and don’t find a replacement in the draft or free agency, Ijalana would presumably be their left tackle again in 2017. The Jets, of course, would have to re-sign him first.
Darryl Slater may be reached at dslater@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DarrylSlater. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.
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