Jets Decline LT Ryan Clady’s Option, Making Him A Free Agent

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Jets have declined to pick up LT Ryan Clady‘s option, making him an unrestricted free agent.

This isn’t a huge surprise, considering that recent reports mentioned that the Jets were unlikely to pay him the $10 million he was owed for the 2017 season. Clady was also due a $1 million roster bonus that they won’t be paying.

There’s still a chance that the Jets could try to bring him back at a lower salary, but it seems likely he’ll want to see what the market will bear before considering a new deal with New York.

The Jets are now in need of a starting left tackle. The problem, however, is that there aren’t a lot of great options in free agency or the draft, so it will be interesting to see what the Jets ultimately do at the position.

Clady, 30, is a former first-round pick of the Broncos back in 2008. After eight years in Denver, Clady was traded to the Jets for a 2016 fifth-round pick that became Leshaun Sims.

According to OverTheCap.com, the Jets will free up $10 million of available cap space while creating no dead money with this move.

In 2016, Clady appeared in nine games for the Jets before he was placed on injured reserve with a torn rotator cuff in his shoulder. Pro Football Focus has him rated the No. 62 tackle out of 78 qualifying players.