C.J. Mosley will not be returning to training camp in a new uniform. His career came to an end last October when he played his final game with the Jets against the Steelers.
Several stories state that Mosley retired on Thursday, his 33rd birthday. Six years after joining the organization as a highly sought-after free agent, Mosley was cut by the Jets in March. Due to neck and toe problems, he only participated in four games in 2024.
Mosley began his 10-year NFL career with the Ravens in 2024 as the 17th overall pick out of Alabama. He was named to the Pro Bowl five times and made the second team All-Pro five times.
In five seasons with the Jets, he was selected to the All-Pro team and earned one Pro Bowl, leaving a complex legacy.
When Mosley signed a five-year, $81 million contract with $51 million guaranteed with the Jets in March 2019, he was undoubtedly the best middle linebacker in the league.
In his Jets debut against the Bills at MetLife Stadium, he appeared better than expected; nevertheless, near the end of the third quarter, he sustained a core muscle injury. Mosley later acknowledged that he hurried to return for an October 2019 game against the Patriots, which meant he would have to have season-ending surgery and have to wait two years before playing his first healthy game with the Jets.
Mosley missed 2020 due to the epidemic, and by 2021, he was receiving backlash from supporters for his enormous contract and essentially nonexistent efforts.
Although he never quite resembled his former dominant self, Mosley kept getting better during the 2021 season and led an unexpected Jets defense that emerged as one of the best in the league in 2022. He also returned to being one of the league’s top linebackers, earning a Pro Bowl and a second-team All-Pro selection.
Mosley acknowledged that he had lost a step or two by the beginning of the 2024 season, but he was now a fan favorite, viewed as the team’s captain in the locker room, and there was still hope that he might be a member of a squad that would compete for a postseason berth and possibly more with Aaron Rodgers.
But very immediately it went wrong. When Mosley returned from his toe injury sustained during the Week 2 victory against the Titans, it was immediately apparent that he would have competition from Jamien Sherwood for the starting position.
Mosley returned to action in Weeks 6 and 7 against the Bills and Steelers, but he only played a total of 31 snaps, a significant decrease from the 67 he played in Week 1 prior to the toe injury.
Mosley then claimed that during warm-ups in Week 8, as he prepared to play the Patriots in Foxborough, his neck locked up. He was on the sidelines watching the game. He didn’t return to the field.
After an incredible yet peculiar career, Mosley departs the NFL. He never succeeded in changing the Jets’ fortunes, but his shrewd, tough play did change the fans’ perception of him.
And Mosley will get some of the credit for the guidance he gave to the young guys who will continue to become the nucleus going ahead if the Jets succeed under this new management.
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