The New York Jets have put together a productive offseason with a few exciting signings. But the Jets also lost a few stars. Players like D.J. Reed, Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, and Javon Kinlaw are all off the roster as the Jets prepare for 2025.
The loss of Kinlaw is going to be a big one that not many people are talking about, but the Jets couldn’t afford to pay the defensive tackle the $45 million that the Washington Commanders gave him.
Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report recently called the contract the Commanders gave Kinlaw one of the worst contracts of the NFL offseason and he has a pretty good argument.
“The Washington Commanders, unwilling to pay defensive tackle Jonathan Allen over $20 million in 2025, released the two-time Pro Bowler on March 7,” Davenport wrote. “Then the team turned around and handed $15 million a season to fellow tackle Javon Kinlaw, because nothing matters anymore.
“Kinlaw did set a career-high in sacks with 4.5 last year in New York, but the 27-year-old has just 9.5 sacks in his career and has never had more than 40 tackles in a season. It’s like Peters is hell-bent on showing that San Francisco wasn’t wrong when they drafted Kinlaw. The real kick in the teeth? The contract that Allen (a much more accomplished player) signed with the Vikings was for just $2 million more a season with similar guarantees.”
Paying $15 million a year for Kinlaw is quite a reach for the Commanders. With Washington unwilling to pay Jonathan Allen $20 million a year, this deal looks even worse.
Either way, the Jets likely dodged a bullet here. They would regret it for years if they would have signed Kinlaw to a three-year, $45 million deal like the Commanders did.
