Latest Rams signing could reshape Jets’ free agency plans

It’s a surprisingly hefty deal for the soon-to-be 27-year-old Curl. His $12 million salary is tied for 15th-highest among safeties.

This exceeds most of the reputable projections for Curl that were published before the deal was announced. Spotrac’s market value expected him to command $10 million per year, the third-highest number among free agent safeties. PFF had him at $7.5 million.

Curl led safeties with 79 solo tackles in 2025. However, his coverage wasn’t outstanding; his 419 yards allowed ranked as the ninth-most among safeties, and his 66.1 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus was 28th out of 72 qualifiers at the position—solid, but far from elite.

The Arkansas product has been a starter across his entire six-year NFL career since being selected in the seventh round of the 2020 draft, but Curl has never made a Pro Bowl or an All-Pro appearance. While he is known as a hard hitter, coverage has been a struggle for him, as he has allowed a career passer rating of 103.3.

All things considered, Curl’s $12 million salary sets the safety market quite high as free agency approaches. That means the Curl contract will directly impact safety-needy teams like the Jets.

With Curl significantly exceeding his contract projections, multiple big-name safeties on the free agent market are in line for lucrative paydays. Per Spotrac’s projections, the two safeties expected to command the largest salaries are Kansas City’s Bryan Cook ($14.2 million) and Seattle’s Coby Bryant ($14.3 million).

Curl exceeded his Spotrac projection by $2 million. If Cook and Bryant do the same, they will each command over $16 million per year, placing both in the top 10 among safeties.

The Jets badly need help at safety. They had one of the NFL’s worst safety units in 2025.

New York has plenty of cap space to address the issue in 2026. But with holes at the majority of offensive and defensive positions (and kicker), their $74 million in cap space will dry up fast.

Can the Jets afford to dole out over $16 million per year to a safety when they badly need help at more valuable positions?

That is one of the most intriguing storylines hovering over the team as free agency approaches. The Jets may answer that question with a resounding yes, and it wouldn’t necessarily be the wrong move. After all, Cook and Bryant hail from two of the last three Super Bowl champions. An elite safety can be the backbone of a title-worthy defense.

Or, the Jets could steer clear of the big-ticket safeties and opt for value at the position. The safety market is deep in this year’s free agent class, offering some excellent avenues for the Jets to find bang for their buck.

There is also the possibility of waiting until the draft to land their superstar safety of the future. Ohio State’s Caleb Downs is considered one of the best safety prospects of the last decade. With the second overall pick, the Jets know they will have the luxury of selecting the draft’s first non-quarterback, so they can comfortably wait until then to make their splash move at safety if they are already sold on Downs.

There are countless paths New York can take to fill out a safety unit that is nearly vacant at this time. For now, all we can comfortably say is this: Curl likely set the tone for safeties around the NFL to make some surprisingly big bucks this March.

How the Jets respond to the market spike will tell us a lot about their organizational philosophies.