There aren’t many times when two Pro Bowl-caliber players become available on the open market before the start of free agency.

Luckily for the New York Jets, that’s their current reality.

Pro Bowl guard Cody Whitehair and safety Eddie Jackson were released by the Chicago Bears Thursday afternoon as a move to not only save some salary cap space but to allow the two veterans to find homes BEFORE free agency actually began.

Whitehair struggled with injuries over the last few seasons in Chicago, but he’s 31 years old, has plenty of starting experience, and would be an incredible role signing for the Jets should they go down that route of improving the guard position.

New York went through 13 different offensive linemen in 2023 and 11 different combinations. That, coupled with ineffective play from some of their high-priced veterans means the franchise is expected to address several positions along the offensive line – guard being one of them.

Jackson, on the other hand, is still an All-Pro caliber safety and is a player the Jets could desperately need. Safeties Chuck Clark, Jordan Whitehead, and Ashtyn Davis are all free agents. If New York were to allow all to hit the open market, there’s a chance they could be starting from scratch at an important position.

Gang Green acquiring Jackson would be the ultimate addition to a secondary with All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner, and top-ranked players like D.J. Reed and Michael Carter.

Before the Jets even think about bringing in Whitehair or Jackson, there are quite a few cap gymnastics they’ll have to run through. New York has just $7 million in cap space this offseason, with restructures and releases in place to add plenty of room for the offseason.

The longer the organization waits to make those moves, the harder it will be to pick up guys like the ones recently released by the Bears on Thursday.

The clock is ticking for general manager Joe Douglas and the Jets. They have a golden opportunity to improve the roster now before the real bidding war begins.