2026 Offseason Plan Part I: Futures Signings That Make the 53-Man Roster
After the regular season ends, teams will sign players not on an active roster to what is known as a futures contract, and they are put on the Reserve/Futures List. Those signings lock a player onto the 90-man camp roster for the following season, and are typically signed for the league minimum.
Right now, the Jets have 30 players signed through 2026, but I only expect the Jets to go into free agency with 23 of them on the active roster. We will get to the expected roster cuts in the next article.
Currently, the Jets have $73,002,598 in cap space (from a Week 1 lens) in 2026. So, who should they bring back that will make the 53-man roster in 2026.
In the NFL, you will hear two terms regarding players’ statuses: accrued seasons and credited seasons. Accrued seasons are used to determine a player’s free agency status, and to accrue a season, a player must be on full-paid (active roster, IR, or PUP) for six games in a season. Credited seasons are to determine a player’s minimum base salary, and a player must be full paid for three games to earn a credited season.
Brandon Smith
Smith performed well in training camp, and probably should’ve been on the 53-man roster, but veterans that the Jets wanted to give a shot and redemption made it instead. Smith has one credited season in the NFL. So, his minimum salary would be $1,005,000 in 2026.
New Cap Space: $71,997,598
Dean Clark
The Jets have thought highly enough of Dean Clark to use the maximum number of elevations on him this season. Despite these elevations, he’s not been on the 53-man roster yet, and would still have not earned a credited season. He’s a decent depth piece and special teams player. So, he will sign a futures deal and make the roster in 2026 with a base salary of $885,000.
New Cap Space: $71,112,598
With those two additions, the Jets’ 2026 roster stands at 25 players. That’s a lot of roster spots to fill, but that should be expected, given how bad the roster is right now.