The New York Jets have already agreed to a re-worked contract once with linebacker C.J. Mosley. The parties may end up doing so again as they continue exploring their financial options this offseason.
New York has approached Mosley’s agent about a restructure, per the New York Post’s Brian Costello. The 30-year-old linebacker is due to count $21.5M on the Jets’ capsheet for each of the next two seasons. That setup is the result of the re-worked contract the sides agreed to before the start of the 2022 campaign, which also saw two void years tacked onto the deal.
Mosley signed a five-year, $85M pact in 2019, one which helped raise the ceiling of contracts at the position. He joined the Jets with substantial expectations given those terms, along with his level of play with the Baltimore Ravens at the start of his career. However, the former first-rounder played just two games in his first year in the Big Apple and also opted out of the 2020 season.
He has delivered much more significant performances over the past two years, though. Mosley logged seasons of 168 and 158 tackles in 2021 and ’22, respectively, adding three sacks, nine pass deflections and one interception over that span. He was named a Pro Bowler and earned second-team All-Pro honors for the fifth time in his career last season. Lowering his cap hit would would have obvious benefits in the short-term future for the Jets, though adding further to his cap burden down the line represents a notable downside.
“They talked to my agent. I’m not really concerned or worried about it too much,” Mosley said about the situation. “I come here to work every day, focused on getting better and trying to win a championship and being the best player I can be. Whatever happens, happens. It hasn’t been a concern.”
The Jets currently have $24.8M in cap space, but they have yet to work out a new deal with Aaron Rodgers, something which will be necessary to avoid a 2024 cap hit of over $107M. Moving on from Mosley, meanwhile, would result in considerable dead money charges in each of the next two years, providing potential incentive to agree to another restructure this offseason. It will be interesting to see how the Jets proceed with their remaining financial hurdles given their win-now approach.
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