One of the Joe Douglas era’s top success stories, John Franklin-Myers went from 2019 waiver claim to a versatile regular on the Jets‘ defensive line. A higher-profile pass rusher effectively took his spot on the team’s 2024 cap sheet, however.
The Jets’ trade for Haason Reddick led to Franklin-Myers being given a chance to find a new home. The team had given Franklin-Myers a four-year, $55MM extension early in the 2021 season, and the former Rams draftee rewarded the team by becoming a regular starter over the past three years. The Reddick move led to the Jets trading Franklin-Myers to the Broncos in what amounted to a salary dump; only a 2026 sixth-round pick is coming back to New York in the swap.
Praising Franklin-Myers on the way out, Douglas confirmed this trade was strictly contract-related. Franklin-Myers, 27, had been carrying the third-highest cap hit ($16.4MM) on the Jets’ payroll. The Broncos, however, reworked the six-year veteran’s deal and now have him on more manageable numbers — two years, $15MM ($7.9MM fully guaranteed) — heading into the 2024 season.
The Jets did submit what amounted to a pay-cut proposal to convince Franklin-Myers to stay, but the inside-outside rusher said the AFC East team’s offer was not “anything close” to the Broncos’ terms. Indeed, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini adds the Jets’ offer came in well south of his current numbers. Franklin-Myers will count $5MM on Denver’s cap this season. If this proves a shaky fit, the Broncos can save $7MM by releasing the trade pickup in 2025.
Combining for 11 sacks from 2021-22 and totaling 48 QB hits over the past three seasons, Franklin-Myers started every Jets game over the past three years. He projects as a starting D-lineman alongside Zach Allen and D.J. Jones in Denver’s 3-4 scheme. With Jones more run stuffer than three-down player, Franklin-Myers stands to see time alongside Allen as inside rushers in sub-packages. Allen tallied a career-high 24 QB hits last season and has totaled 10.5 sacks over the past two years. This makes for an intriguing combination for a Broncos team that returns its top three edge players (Baron Browning, Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto) from 2023.
Reddick, of course, gives the Jets a higher-ceiling option. He joins recent first-rounders Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald on the team’s Quinnen Williams-anchored defensive line. The Jets, who are effectively replacing Bryce Huff with Reddick, have not agreed on an extension with the Pro Bowl edge rusher. As of now, Reddick remains on his three-year, $45MM Eagles deal; that contract expires after the 2024 season. It would surprise if Reddick-Jets contract talks did not take place this offseason.