The Jets announced that they have released safety Marcus Gilchrist. Gilchrist tore his patellar tendon last season, causing him to finish the year on IR.
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Gilchrist was believed to be on the chopping block this offseason and the drafting of two safeties with the Jets’ first two picks cemented his fate. Gilchrist has now been let go midway through the four-year, $22MM deal he signed with the Jets prior to the 2015 season.
The Jets have designated Gilchrist as a post-June 1 cut, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets, meaning that the team will save more on this year’s cap while deferring $1.375MM into the ’18 cap. All in all, the Jets are saving $4.625MM against the books with the dead money spread out across two seasons.
In his injury-shortened season, Gilchrist graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 53 ranked safety out of 90 qualified players. His overall score of 77.1 roughly matched his work across the previous three seasons.
In addition to cutting Gilchrist, the Jets also waived cornerback Nick Marshall and fullback Chris Swain. Marshall was hit with a four-game suspension for PEDs earlier this offseason.