From the moment he was hired as general manager, Mike Maccagnan has been saying he plans to be "very active" in free agency. In terms of bold predictions, it's about as daring as forecasting the color of the red carpet at the Oscars.

By rule, the New York Jets must spend a lot of money. They have no choice. There's something called the "89-percent rule," which mandates that teams spend 89 percent of their salary-cap dollars over a four-year period -- 2013 to 2016.

As you might have guessed, the Jets have some serious catching up to do. According to the NFLPA, they spent only 81.16 percent the last two years, having doled out the following cash totals:

2013: $101,549,147

2014: $106,230,662

Last year's cap was $133 million. This year's cap is expected to be $143 million or slightly higher. Next year it will increase again. So, according to the NFLPA, the Jets have to spend an average of about $141 million over the next two seasons to be in compliance with the 89-percent rule.

Right now, they have a cash payroll of $84.1 million for 2015, according to overthecap.com.

So get the checkbook ready, Woody.

What happens if they fail to reach the plateau? The team isn't fined and it doesn't get penalized a draft pick. The shortfall is allocated to players who were on the roster from 2013 to 2016. In other words, the NFLPA will spread it around as it sees fit.