The New York Jets and veteran linebacker C.J. Mosley reportedly agreed to a two-year contract extension Thursday. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Mosley is set to sign a two-year, $17.25 million extension with $13.25 million in guaranteed money.
That includes $9 million guaranteed in 2024. Mosley had been set to enter the final year of his deal in 2024, and he had no guaranteed money remaining on the original five-year, $85 million contract he signed with the Jets.
A Mosley extension might have spared the Jets $12.632 million against the salary cap in 2024, according to Over The Cap.
More than The Jets are now listed as having $11.9 million in cap space by the Cap, but that amount could have increased to over $24 million.
A trade for Mosley would have been expected at one point because, as ESPN’s Rich Cimini noted in March 2021, the Jets’ roster place for Mosley “appears shaky” with the addition of linebacker Jarrad Davis. “Open to trading him,” according to Cimini, although it would probably “be difficult because he’s owed $14 million in guarantees over the next two seasons. At the time, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network added the following context: Still, there was never a trade.
Mosley added that at the time of those earlier rumors, he was driven to establish his worth.
“There’s a little added chip [on my shoulder] because you’ve always got your fans that are going to heckle,” he stated, according to Cimini. “When I get back on the field, I definitely want to make sure they respect the name again.”
He gained some of that respect over the last three seasons by playing a larger role in the Jets defense than was previously thought.
Mosley was a shining spot in the team’s poor 2021 season, finishing with 168 tackles, two sacks, and two forced fumbles in 16 games. In 2022, he finished as a Pro Bowl player with 158 tackles, seven passes defended, one sack, one interception, and one fumble recovery.
He recorded 152 tackles, two forced fumbles, seven passes deflected, and one interception in 2023.
While there may be occasional inconsistencies, he has proven he can still be among the league’s best linebackers. The Baltimore Ravens selected him out of Alabama with the No. 17 pick of the 2014 draft, and he made four Pro Bowls in his five seasons with the AFC North team. He also missed just three games as a leader of the defense during that time. His recent performances have probably increased his value, and the Jets have chosen to reward him accordingly.
With 105 tackles, five passes defensed, and an interception towards the end of his final full season in Baltimore in 2018, Mosley shown his ability to stuff the run and stick with tight ends in the aerial attack.
Mosley, who is only 31 years old, just finished a run of outstanding defensive play. With a new contract, the Jets hope he can capitalize on that once more.
