Age: 27
Free Agency: 2026 (RFA)
Accrued Seasons: 3
- Height: 6'1"
- Weight: 227
- College: Western Michigan
- Entry: 2023 Draft, Round 6, #184 overall (Jets)
- 2026 Salary Cap Charge: $0 (0.00% of cap)
- 2026 Cash Payout: $0 (0.00% of spending)
- 2026 Cash to Cap Ratio: 0
- Contract Value: $1,030,000 ($1,030,000 APY)
- Fully Guaranteed Money: $0
- Contract Ranking: 166/215 at LB
Current Contract
(SFA, signed 2025)
(📝: indicates contract trigger occuring during that year)| Year | Age | Base Salary | Cap Number | Cap % | Dead Money & Cap Savings | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 26 | $1,030,000 | $515,000 | 0.2% | ||||
| Total | $1,030,000 | $515,000 | ||||||
Contract Notes
Zaire Barnes signed a four year contract worth $4,033,568 with the Jets on May 5, 2023. The contract has $193,568 in guarantees. He received a signing bonus worth $193,568.
Cash Flows
| 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Cash Due | $1,030,000 |
| Running Cash | $1,030,000 |
Career Earnings: $2,136,567
Career APY: $712,189
Contract History
| Team | Contract Type | Status | Year Signed | Yrs | Total | APY | Guarantees | Amount Earned | % Earned | Effective APY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | Drafted | Terminated | 2023 | 4 | $4,033,568 | $1,008,392 | $193,568 | $1,371,901 | 34.0% | $685,951 |
| Giants | Practice | Elevated | 2025 | 1 | $234,000 | $234,000 | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | $0 |
| Giants | Practice | Renegotiated | 2025 | 1 | $366,666 | $366,666 | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | $0 |
| Giants | Practice | Elevated | 2025 | 1 | $322,444 | $322,444 | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | $0 |
| Giants | Practice | Elevated | 2025 | 1 | $278,222 | $278,222 | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | $0 |
| Giants | SFA | Active | 2025 | 1 | $1,030,000 | $1,030,000 | $0 | $515,000 | 50.0% | $515,000 |
Earnings By Team
| Team | Yrs | Salary | APY | Paid on Cap | % Paid on Cap | Paid as Dead Money | % Paid as Dead Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 2 | $1,371,901 | $685,951 | $1,275,117 | 0.0% | $96,784 | 0.0% |
| Giants | 1 | $764,666 | $764,666 | $515,000 | 0.0% | $249,666 | 0.0% |
Season History
Statistics
| Year | Games Played | Games Inactive | Snaps | Tackles | Negative Plays | Interceptions | Fumbles | TD | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defense | Special | Solo | Assist | Sacks | Yards | TFL | QB Hits | Pass Def. | INT | Yards | Forced | Rec. | Yards | ||||
| 2023 | 4 | 9 | 0.0% | 6.6% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 11 | 0 | 8.3% | 35.3% | 12 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Valuation Diamond
The diamond is a scatterplot graph that visualizes the relation of the player's APY (in green) and performance (in blue, as measured by OTC's Valuations) to the rest of the league at his position. To understand how to read the diamond, read this explainer.
| OTC Valuation | APY | |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | $227,000 | $1,030,000 |
| Injury Adjusted | $227,000 | $1,030,000 |
Weekly Valuation Trends
The chart below illustrates the trend of the player's weekly OTC Valuations (in blue) from the most recent season, using APY (in green) and, if applicable, cash that is due to the player in the next season (in red) as benchmarks. Weeks not plotted indicate that the player was inactive or on a bye.
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