I do not want to dwell on the past, but it is worth noting that the decision the Jets made about giving Vernon Gholston one more chance last spring ended up being a costly one. The team never should have brought him back for another year.
There was not much chance of Gholston making a big impact. He had shown nothing in his first two NFL seasons to suggest he could play well in the NFL. Some raw players have flashes where they show they are capable of big things if they can consistently put things together. Gholston never did that. Even the team's expectations were for Gholston to contribute as a backup.
The Jets had a unique chance in an uncapped season to get rid of Gholston without dead money affecting their cap. Cutting him would have done just that. Cutting him now leaves $5.8 million in dead money on the books. That money could have really helped this team signing its own free agents back this year. All of the key guys hitting free agency was not a secret then.
Keeping Gholston did not make a ton of sense then. It almost felt like hubris. The coaching staff wanted to prove it could get something from him. The front office did not want to admit a mistake. Remember that move if the team has to lose a key free agent due to finances.