Out of football since his Chargers contract expired in March, Linval Joseph may have an opportunity in a familiar locale. The Jets met with the veteran defensive tackle Friday, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com.
Although Joseph’s profile rose during his Vikings stay, he began his career with the Giants. The former Big Blue second-round pick is now a 12-year veteran who would be set for his age-34 season, should a team sign him.
A backup as a rookie, Joseph has been a starter for more thana decade now. The Giants, Vikings and Bolts have used the interior D-lineman as a first-stringer 162 times collectively. Missing more than three games in a season just once during that span, Joseph has been one of the NFL's most enduring presences since coming into the league out of East Carolina.
The U.S. Virgin Islands native spent two seasons with the Chargers, signing a two-year, $17M deal. Joseph has already signed four NFL contracts — his rookie deal (2010), a five-year Vikings pact (2014), a four-year Minnesota extension worth $50.35M and the Chargers accord — and was one of the league’s top inside run defenders in his prime. Joseph’s level of play dipped some in Los Angeles, but the Jets are interested to see what he has left.
Gang Green has seen significant improvement up front. Quinnen Williams has taken another leap this season, as evidenced by his dominant outing in the Jets’ upset in Green Bay, and the team’s 2021 Carl Lawson signing is paying dividends a year later. D-tackle Sheldon Rankins and edge player John Franklin-Myers also registered sacks of Aaron Rodgers last week. The team, which used a first-round pick on Jermaine Johnson this year, also has former top-three pick Solomon Thomas and veteran Vinny Curry as backups. Joseph would add to this emerging D-line stable, should the Jets feel he has another season in the tank.
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