Alex Lewis already presumably lost his starting job to 2021 first-round pick Alijah Vera-Tucker. Now he’s taking a pay cut.
The guard agreed to restructure his contract with the Jets, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. Lewis will now make a $2 million base salary in 2021 and become a free agent after the season. Lewis was originally scheduled to make $5.8 million in 2021 and $6 million in 2022, though only $833,333 was guaranteed.
The Jets now have an estimated $27.85 million in salary-cap space, according to Over The Cap. The move also sets up an easier decision when it comes to Lewis’ roster spot. It would have been hard for Joe Douglas to justify keeping Lewis on his original contract. But with the reduced salary and risk, it makes more sense for Douglas to keep Lewis as either a veteran backup for Vera-Tucker or as a potential starting right guard.
Lewis will face stiff competition for that job. It’s between him, 2020 starter Greg Van Roten, Dan Feeney and undrafted free agent Tristen Hoge. Cameron Clark, one of the Jets’ 2020 fourth-round picks, could also be in the mix as a starting right guard. Lewis might be the best among them, though, which isn’t saying much considering he allowed 24 pressures over 349 pass protection snaps last year, according to Jets X-Factor’s Michael Nania.
Either way, now Douglas and the Jets have a little more wiggle room with their personnel decisions.
