While the Giants are already busy taking a chainsaw to their roster, the Jets and new GM John Idzik have been conspicuously quiet.
That silence doesn’t figure to last much longer.
Gang Green is nearly $20 million over the NFL’s projected $121.1 million salary cap for 2013, meaning Idzik has plenty to do and relatively not much time to do it before free agency kicks off March 12 with the start of the official league calendar.
Actually, getting under the cap will be bloody but simple for Idzik, a cap expert who merely needs to cut outside linebacker Calvin Pace, inside linebacker Bart Scott, offensive tackle Jason Smith and safety Eric Smith to save a whopping $30.8 million in cap room.
But while that might create a healthy bit of space under the cap, it likely won’t be enough for them to give cornerback Darrelle Revis the big-money deal he’s seeking or safety LaRon Landry, who was a key contributor to a defense whose productiveness last year was overshadowed by the woes on offense and a 6-10 finish.
And all those cuts also will leave Idzik and coach Rex Ryan with a vastly depleted lineup, featuring just 10 starters still under contract — including a quarterback in Mark Sanchez who is set to receive $8.25 million will be challenged to retain his starting job.
The Jets are going to have to cut players, including the likes of Calvin Pace (above), to get under the salary cap. (Associated Press)
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While David Harris, Santonio Holmes, D’Brickawshaw Ferguson and Antonio Cromartie make big money, cutting them would not help because of the salary-cap hit the Jets would take. It is possible they could restructure their deals.
Then there is the matter of Tim Tebow, who is certain to depart but whose immediate future is still cloudy. That’s because the Jets reportedly plan to see if they can trade him instead of cut him, even though the only team thought to have any interest dealing for Tebow — the Jaguars — recently ruled themselves out of acquiring him at all.
The Jets won’t have any trouble finding trade partners for Revis, and swinging a deal for the perennial All-Pro cover man could end up being the team’s initial priority once they get under the cap.
The Jets won’t save any money by trading Revis, but they would save themselves the headache of further contract drama as well as avoid the embarrassment of letting him walk away — perhaps to a division rival like the Patriots — next winter. They also could load up on picks in the April draft, which will be key to Idzik’s turnaround effort.
As for free agency, the Jets will almost certainly be bargain hunters, even when it comes to the veteran quarterback necessary to compete with Sanchez. That means it will be extremely difficult to land Alex Smith and they likely will have to settle for someone like Tarvaris Jackson or Matt Moore, although Idzik comes from Seattle and is thought to like expendable backup Matt Flynn.
None of that comes as a surprise to the Jets, of course.
Old boss Mike Tannenbaum left a big hole for Idzik to dig out of, and the new boss is just getting started.
bhubbuch@nypost.com