Jets Release WR Eric Decker

The New York Jets have released wide receiver Eric Decker.

The 30 year old wide receiver signed with the Jets as a free agent in 2014. Decker had two good seasons with the Jets, totaling 962 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 2104, followed by a 1027 yard, 12 touchdown season in 2015. In 2016 Decker was off to a similar start before injuring his shoulder in the third game of the season and missing the remainder of the season.

Eric Decker is just the latest in a steady stream of older players the Jets have purged from their roster in the last year and change. Since March of 2016, D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Nick Mangold, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brandon Marshall, Darrelle Revis, David Harris and Eric Decker have all left the Jets. At the start of this purge those were considered the best players on the team, other than the defensive linemen.

With this move the Jets clear $7.25 million in 2017 cap space, and another $7.5 million in 2018 cap space, while creating $3 million in dead money, $1.5 million in each of 2017 and 2018.

In the Jets continuing youth movement Josh McCown, Steve McLendon, Matt Forte and Tanner Purdum are now the only Jets players over the age of 30.