What the New York Jets Trade of Steve McLendon Means in the Big Picture

New York Jets clear cap space, upgrade a Day 3 draft pick in trading Steve McLendon.

The trade of Steve McLendon on Sunday by the New York Jets signals their shift from attempting to be a competitive team now being full in re-build mode.

Following their Week 6 loss at the Miami Dolphins, McLendon was traded by the Jets along with a seventh round pick in the NFL Draft to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a sixth round pick. The move, according to Brad Spielberger of OverTheCap and Pro Football Focus, clears almost $1 million in salary cap space.

The defensive lineman had four tackles in the Jets loss in Miami.

"The Jets are being very clear about their focus at this point in the season. Anything not bolted down can be had for the right price. This is a full-scale fire sale as New York turns their attention to 2021 and beyond. Steve McLendon gets to reunite with his former head coach Todd Bowles in Tampa after Le'Veon Bell signed with Kansas City following his release,” Spielberger said.

“The Jets may look to continue purging the roster, but at this point not many obvious trade pieces remain. Jamison Crowder and Brian Poole are two players that could have some solid value around the league, especially because both are on somewhat team-friendly contracts. However, you want to have some quality players left as you transition into the future. The Jets are making sure their cupboard is full for the 2021 Draft, there's certainly no reason to try to do anything else at this point."

The Jets have roughly $84 million in salary cap space, currently most in the NFL according to Spielberger.

A cap analyst, Spielberger is also the author of The Drafting Stage: Creating a Marketplace for NFL Draft Picks.