It may not be the financial move along the New York Jets defensive line that fans are hoping for, but it could be a precursor to the move they want. Per Field Yates of ESPN, Jets DE Carl Lawson agreed to a reworked deal on Thursday.

Jets DE Carl Lawson has agreed to a reworked deal, per source.

Lawson was due a non-guaranteed $15M, but is now due a base value of $9M, $8M of that is guaranteed. He has $3M more available in incentives.

The move creates $12.7M in 2023 cap space for the Jets.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) May 18, 2023

As Yates states, the move frees up almost $13 million of cap space and keeps one of the most important pieces of the Jets' front four in green for a 2023 Super Bowl run. The Jets are expected to have about $18 million in cap space which they will certainly need. More on that later. 

The 27-year-old Lawson signed a three-year, $45 million deal with the Jets in 2021 but missed that whole season with a torn Achilles he suffered during the preseason. He returned last year and recorded 33 tackles and 7.0 sacks while appearing in every game. 

Lawson’s role on the defense can’t be understated. He was on the field for almost 60% of defensive snaps for the team and plays strong against both the run and against the pass. By contrast, guys like Will McDonald IV -whom the Jets drafted 15^th overall this year out of Iowa State- will likely be a pass rush specialist, only.

Robert Saleh’s defense functions best when the front four can put pressure on the QB, allowing the backend to play more aggressively. Lawson was second only to Quinnen Williams with 26 QB pressures in 2022. If the Jets plan to play in 2023 with more leads thanks to their new star QB, having a guy who can make the QB throw before he wants to, is a tremendous advantage. 

Lawson’s reworked deal will earn him a base salary of $9 million in with $8 million of it guaranteed. He can also earn another $3 million through incentives. This is the final year of Lawson’s contract and if he puts up another year like he did last season, he could be one of the prized free agents of the 2024 class at only 28-years-old. 

The move not only ensures the Jets retain a key piece of their vaunted defense but allows Joe Douglas to get to work on handling the future contracts of the teams two stars: Aaron Rodgers and Quinnen Williams.

In the case of Rodgers, the recently acquired QB is tied to just a $1.2 million cap hit this year and an exorbitant $107.6MM number in 2024. Rodgers has stated he is obviously willing to work on moving those numbers around to be much more team friendly. If Rodgers plans to play another season after this one, the Jets will need to find a way to bring his cap number down in 2024.

When it comes to Quinnen Williams, the Jets need to end the stand-off and show him and the rest of the team that they want to keep their own guys. Williams is one of the top players at his position and wants to play for the Jets. The Jets need to make sure the only drama heading into training camp is “how good can this team be” and not “why isn’t Williams signed yet”.

It would not be surprising if Carl Lawson is the only player the Jets approach about a restructure. Corey Davis, C.J. Mosely and Laken Tomlinson could all rework their current deals to make the most of the Jets brief championship window.