Jets move on from C.J. Mosley to end linebackers injury-plagued tenure
The Jets said goodbye to longtime linebacker C.J.Mosley on Wednesday, releasing him after six years with the team. The move has been expected after Mosley, 32, only played four games last year after he battled a toe injury and then suffered a herniated disc in his neck that ended his season in October.Mosley carries a dead money charge of $16.4 million. The Jets also made the long-anticipated release of quarterback Aaron Rodgers official on Wednesday.The Jets announced last month that they were moving on from the four-time MVP and they reached a deal with Justin Fields this week to replace him at quarterback.The Jets are designating Rodgers as a post-June 1 cut, meaning his salary cap figure of $23.5 million will stay on the books for the Jets until June.It will then drop to $14 million for this year in dead money and $35 million in 2026. Mosley joined the Jets in March 2019, signing a five-year, $85 million deal.He wound up only playing two games in his first two years with the Jets.
He suffered a core muscle injury in a Week 1 loss to the Bills in 2019 and tried to come back later in the season but made it worse.He then opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns. Mosley was a four-time Pro Bowler with the Ravens before coming to the Jets.His production in New York took off in 2021 when new coach Robert Saleh arrived.
Mosley dropped weight and became the quarterback of Saleh’s defense.He played 50 games over the next three seasons and went to the Pro Bowl in 2022. Last season, Mosley suffered a toe injury in Week 2 against the Titans and missed the next three games.He returned for two games in October but then felt pain in his neck during pregame warm-ups before a game in New England in Week 8.The doctors found a herniated disc in Mosley’s neck and he did not return to the field. It is unclear if Mosley will retire or try to keep playing.
Mosley said at the end of the season that he was not thinking about retirement and was focused on recove...