The salary-cap-strapped Jets made some anticipated cuts to their roster to improve their cap problems yesterday. Veteran tackle Jason Fabini is gone, as are incumbent fullback Jerald Sowell and injured backup quarterback Jay Fiedler, among a few others.
Along with those moves, the Jets, too, quietly restructured the contract of Curtis Martin, who might go down as the all-time leading team player to go along with his imminent spot in the Hall of Fame.
Terms of the Martin restructuring were not immediately available last night, but it’s believed that his $8.2 million salary cap figure for 2006 was slashed at least in half, freeing up some $4 million to go along with the nearly $8 million freed by yesterday’s cuts.
Those savings, along with the $11 million they don’t have to pay CB Ty Law, who was also officially released yesterday, has freed up some $23 million off the cap, leaving the Jets only a few million dollars away from conforming to their required number.
Martin should serve as an example for every player who puts his team first. Though the renegotiations between the Jets and Chad Pennington are not yet complete, he should serve as an example to Pennington as well.
“I feel that it is important to put the goals of the team ahead of individual goals, and I have restructured my contract to allow us the opportunity to be more competitive as we move forward,” Martin said yesterday in a statement. “This was not a hard decision because of the belief I have in the leadership of this team and my teammates, and that I have in myself.
“I feel like my injury let our team down because I wasn’t able to finish the season and my intention is to help get this team to the highest level. I am looking forward to coming back stronger and healthier in 2006 and am thrilled that it is with the New York Jets.”
Martin, the NFL’s fourth all-time leading rusher, missed the final four games of last season to have knee surgery. That ended a streak of 119 consecutive starts with the Jets and it ended his NFL-record streak of 10 consecutive seasons with 1,000 rushing yards or more.
“Curtis Martin is a special person and a player destined for the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum said yesterday in a statement. “Curtis places the accomplishments of the team ahead of his personal goals and is willing to sacrifice in all areas of the arena for the New York Jets.”
Added Jets head coach Eric Mangini: “His actions, through the agreement we reached (yesterday), demonstrate what a selfless individual he truly is.”
The other players released yesterday were LB Barry Gardner, DT Lance Legree and WR Harry Williams, Jr. Those players have been with the Jets for only a short time. Fabini played eight seasons with the Jets, all as a starter (114 games), and he played through numerous injuries. Sowell played nine seasons with the Jets and finished his career here having played in 137 consecutive games for them.
“Jason Fabini and Jerald Sowell enjoyed long and productive careers as members of the Jets’ franchise and we are grateful for their contributions,” Tannenbaum said. “They both were players that the Jets could rely upon every week.”