The New York Jets have made a trade, it’s just not the one everyone is waiting for.
New York agreed to a deal that sends former Baltimore Ravens safety, Chuck Clark to Florham Park in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick in 2024 according to Ian Rappaport. While the trade has been agreed to, the deal cannot be made official until the new league year begins on Wednesday.
Baltimore moving Clark was seen as a forgone conclusion after agreeing to a three-year, $15 million contract back in 2021. The trade will save Baltimore close to $9 million in cap space.
Clark comes to the Jets with plenty of starting pedigree. The former sixth-round pick out of Virginia Tech has started every game over the last three seasons and totaled over 100 tackles in 2022. But after the draft selection of Kyle Hamilton and the signing of Marcus Williams, the box safety became expendable.
The move also gives the Jets the chance to move on from Jordan Whitehead. New York can save over $7 million in cap space by moving on from the safety.
Staying on the cap space theme, New York continued to find ways to chip away at their own situation. Gang Green is expecting to release return specialist Braxton Berrios when the league year begins on Wednesday. The move would save close to $5 million in cap space.
Berrios is one of several current New York Jet players that are expected to be released before the 2023 season begins. New York currently has close to $3 million in cap space before the Berrios release and Clark trade.
With a potential trade for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers on the horizon, the goal of becoming cap compliant is a major push for Gang Green over the coming weeks. Being able to add in an upgrade at the safety position is just another bonus.
