New York Jets Offseason: Brian Winters' Price Tag Goes Up

Darryl Slater notes Brian Winters played in enough snaps to raise his 2016 salary.

Winters, whom the Jets drafted in the third round in 2013, will now make $1.696 million next season, according to NFLPA records.

His base salary was previously scheduled to be $708,000.

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A player qualifies for the escalator in the final year of his rookie contract if he played at least 35 percent of his team's offensive or defensive snaps in two of his first three regular seasons. A player can also achieve the escalator if he has a cumulative average of at least 35 percent of snaps during his first three seasons.

This might seem like good news for Winters, but I think this might reduce the chances he remains with the Jets in 2016.

Over the Cap now has Winters costing the Jets over $1.8 million if he is on the team next year. He will only cost around $160 thousand against the cap if he is cut, however. So the Jets save over $1.6 million against the cap by cutting Winters. For a team tight up against the cap, that makes a difference.

$1.8 million might not be a ton of money, but it is appreciably above the minimum. Based on his body of work, it is tough to say Winters has been worth much more than the minimum.