If you are paying close attention, you will see in the days ahead that the Jets are signing players to reserve/futures contracts. The process has already begun.
You might wonder what this means.
To answer the question, we first must talk about the NFL calendar. The maximum number of players a team is allowed to have on its roster varies. Between the start of the league year in March and cutdown day in August, teams are allowed to carry 90
players on their roster. Between cutdown day and the start of the next league year, teams can only roster 53 players.
A reserve/future contract allows the Jets and other teams to sign players for the next season. Even though the 2025 season is over, the Jets technically still have to keep their roster at 53 players until the new league year begins in March.
When a player signs a reserve/future deal, he is signing a contract that starts in March. He doesn’t count against the roster until the contract kicks in upon the beginning of the new league year.
These contracts allow the Jets to start filling out their training camp rosters early rather than wait until March when they will be occupied with other things. They also give players certainty that they will be in an NFL training camp.
Any player who is currently a free agent can sign a reserve/future deal. This includes players who ended the season on the practice squad. The practice squad ceases to exist upon the conclusion of the final game of the season so the Jets need to sign any players they want to keep to a reserve/future contract.
