After New York Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley opts out, what is the team's salary cap picture?

While it hurts the New York Jets defense, the salary cap number for next offseason continues to improve with the decision of C.J. Mosley to opt-out of this year.

The Jets linebacker, who has made the Pro Bowl four times in his career (but none since signing with the Jets last offseason), made the decision on Saturday to opt-out of the season. Due to COVID-19, players have the chance to opt-out of the season.

And while the Jets will miss his projected production (Mosley played just two games last year due to injury), his decision to opt out does free up salary cap space this year that the Jets can and likely will roll over into next year.

“C.J. Mosley’s 2020 cap charge is expected to drop from $17.5 million to just $10 million following his decision to opt out. The terms of his contract in 2020 will toll to 2021, meaning he will be due a $6 million base salary and his 2021 cap hit will be just $7.5 million,” said Brad Spielberger of OverTheCap.com and Pro Football Focus. Spielberger is a noted cap analyst and author of The Drafting Stage: Creating a Marketplace for NFL Draft Picks.

“Mosley is now under contract thru 2024 and his guarantees will be due a year later as well,” Spielberger said. “The earliest the Jets would’ve probably wanted to get out from under his contract was 2022, that would now be 2023.”

According to ESPN’s reporting on Mosley’s decision, he is choosing to sit out this season citing personal health concerns.