Bent of The Jets Blog, an always excellent source of Jets news, notes that the new CBA wipes dead money off teams' balance sheets when calculating the 2011 salary cap.
no signing bonus proration to the League Years of this Agreement shall apply for any Preexisting Contract that was terminated, traded, or assigned via waivers prior to March 11, 2011
This helps the Jets. Most calculations I have seen had the Jets at the edge of the cap counting that money. That wipes about $7 million out and puts the team squarely under the cap before making any moves. Vernon Gholston no longer haunts this franchise.
The Jets might not be in a position to go on a big spending spree as they have done in years past, but they should be set up nicely to hold onto the key guys about to hit the market. This certainly makes matters easier.