After 11 seasons, it appears Nick Mangold‘s time with the Jets will come to an end. The team is expected to release its longtime center, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). Mangold confirmed the move is coming on his own Twitter account, with the Jets doing so soon after.
Mangold played in a career-low eight games last season due to injury and will enter his age-33 season in 2017. The former first-round pick was set to account for $9.075MM of the Jets’ salary cap, and since no guaranteed money remains on his deal, the team can clear that entire amount from its payroll. This was to be the final season of Mangold’s seven-year Jets pact signed in 2011.
The Jets entered this week as one of the most cap-strapped teams in the league, but cuts of Breno Giacomini, Nick Folk and the forthcoming Mangold release will increase their projected cap space to more than $16MM.
Previously, a possible pay cut hovered on the horizon for Mangold, but the sides are going to instead part ways before free agency. He’s expected to have suitors, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Wesley Johnson is expected to inherit the veteran’s job after making eight starts last season after Mangold’s injury, although the 26-year-old is a restricted free agent.
This continued major upheaval for Gang Green’s offensive front and marks the second consecutive offseason the team will see its longest-tenured player depart. D’Brickashaw Ferguson retired last April. His replacement, Ryan Clady, is now a free agent, joining Giacomini. Mangold’s cut will further deprive the team of experience up front but create space for the Jets to pursue younger additions to that group and elsewhere. Of the players that opened the 2016 season as starters for Gang Green up front, only guards Brian Winters and James Carpenter remain on the roster.
With the releases of Clady, Giacomini, Folk and Mangold, the Jets have now cleared $26.575MM off their 2017 cap, Darryl Slater of NJ.com tweets.
A two-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler, Mangold started all 164 games in which he played for the Jets. Mangold’s tweet appears to indicate he plans to keep playing, and he would be an attractive commodity for some teams, assuming he can recover sufficiently from the ankle injury that ended his season.
Wish the bengals would sign him but they too cheap to do what it takes to win the big one!! Automatic upgrade over bodine!!!
You do know there is a salary cap right? I mean who have the Bengals let walk in free agency that significantly contributed elsewhere? Marvin Jones and Mohammed Sanu are two guys who immediately come to mind, but you also can’t be paying three receivers top dollar.
They have had a glaring need at Center for years and never fix it, Bodine is junk but they don’t see it. How many times has he been man handled while watching a game. If your close to a super bowl run. You tweak your team by restructuring contracts to bring in vets and cutting lose guys who’s cap figure out weighs their performance.
Great teams are creative with the cap, and fill glaring needs with a guy by trade or a vet who has enough in the tank to get the job done. Knowing they will ether lose them to FA or they release them after they get the usefulness out of them. I.e. Martellus Bennet this yr or Demarcus Ware the year before with the Broncos
The Bengals are historically one of the cheapest franchises. That’s why Marvin Lewis still has a job. Who else would keep him around for so long? His playoff record is laughable. Still 0 playoff wins. They won’t even pay to hire a GM to run the team the right way. They are cheap and in total disarray.
How about the Browns? They really need a real center.
I doubt mangold would sign with a bottom feeder, dumpster fire of a franchise
So he’ll be passing on SF?
SF and Cleveland. I’m sure he’d like to play for a SB Contender so why play for those Bottom feeders
Beggars can NOT be choosy, DUH?
When your a multiple pro bowler in the twilight of your career and you want to compete for a SB you can be choosy…. DUH
Just release the whole defense
Leonard Williams???
He’s probably the only Jet that should remain a Jet. Aside from last year, he’s been in the trenches for them his entire career.
Make him a guard and sign with Atlanta. He’d probably be an upgrade with the guards we have now
The Rams are redoing their horrible offensive line and center is a position of need. Cap of over 50 mill.
Rams cap of over 49 million.
He’ll end up winning a super bowl with New England next year.
Sounds about right