Things might get awkward.
Rich Cimini of ESPN recently forecasted an upcoming contract standoff between the New York Jets and defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers.
“I’m sure they will come to JFM at some point in the offseason, maybe in June, and ask him to take a pay cut. The Jets have done this before. They did it last year with [Carl] Lawson, they did it with [Jordan] Whitehead, they’ve done it in the past with [Jamison] Crowder. I do not believe JFM will be amenable to that. He is pretty entrenched in his position. I don’t think he is in any mind to take a pay cut which would set up a really interesting situation. Of course, they have Haason Reddick now. They can play the same position,” Cimini explained on the April 18 edition of the “Flight Deck Podcast.” “I’d keep JFM, I think it would be a huge mistake to trade him or cut him. He is a good player, he plays the run well, he is a good locker room guy, I would keep JFM.”
The Jets Could Make Things Messy
Franklin-Myers, 27, has two years left on his $55 million contract. He is set to count $16.3 million against the cap in 2024. Next offseason that number jumps to $17.4 million.
The former Stephen F. Austin product just completed his fourth season with the green and white in 2023. He has registered 17.5 sacks, 61 quarterback hits, and has accumulated 125 total tackles.
During that period, JFM has appeared in 65 games and has made 52 starts.
Five minutes before the start of the first round on Thursday, April 25 JFM sent out a very cryptic tweet.
“Life’s a trampoline, I’m gone bounce back regardless,” Franklin-Myers wrote on social media.
That sparked a lot of rumors on X previously Twitter that perhaps something is in the works.
One fan asked, “How are we supposed to read this? Are you getting traded?”
“I’m praying to every God that this doesn’t mean you’re leaving. Can’t have that happen,” another fan responded.
Another fan speculated: “What’s happening here… Is he getting cut cuz [he] didn’t want to re-structure or take a pay cut?”
The Jets could approach JFM in June and ask him to take a massive pay cut. If he refused the team could cut him or trade him. At that point in the offseason, JFM would have very limited options at his disposal.
Insider Shares Jets Trade Rumor in Middle of the 2024 NFL Draft
Something that could be related or unrelated, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic revealed that the Jets are “working on a trade.”
“I don’t think he [Joe Douglas] is done making moves. I wrote in my story the other day that they [the Jets] are working on a trade that maybe doesn’t necessarily involve rookies in this class. That might be happening in the next few days. So keep an eye on that just a little tease,” Rosenblatt explained on “The Can’t Wait Podcast.”
Rosenblatt didn’t mention any specific names for these rumors, but the cryptic JFM posts on social media have people trying to connect the dots.
“They might not be done with player-for-draft-pick trades,” Rosenblatt wrote in a column posted on Wednesday, April 24.
On social media, Rosenblatt added some more detail saying this trade rumor he has heard wouldn’t be about the Jets trading for a veteran but rather potentially trading one away.
“I don’t think they [the Jets] are dying to like give up assets right now. I think they’d rather receive assets,” Rosenblatt continued.
That seems to suggest the Jets could trade away a veteran on the team to pick up additional assets like draft compensation.
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