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The Jets are cutting longtime starting guard Brian Winters according to Adam Schefter.
A surprise release: Jets are cutting last season’s starting right guard Brian Winters, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 2, 2020
As a starting guard, Winters is not expected to be without a job very long.
There had been rumors surrounding Winters for months since the Jets signed Greg Van Roten in the offseason. It seemed like heading into training camp that Winters and Van Roten would compete for the starting right guard job. It now seems to belong to Van Roten.
Releasing Winters will save the Jets around $7.2 million in cap space. The team might not use it immediately, however. Unused cap space from one season can be rolled over into the next year. With the salary cap possibly going down in 2021, that $7.2 million could become very valuable in the 2021 offseason.
Winters was a third round pick of the Jets in 2013. Aside from brief stretches at the start of his rookie and third seasons he has been a starter his entire Jets career. His play, however, was inconsistent, and he struggled to stay healthy in his time with the team. Now he will be looking for a new team.