On Wednesday, the New York Jets released linebacker C.J. Mosley, per a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It ends Mosley’s six-year run with the organization, highlighted by a second-team All-Pro appearance in 2022.
Reacting to the news on Instagram, safety Tony Adams provided a heartfelt message to the Jets’ former team captain.
“Just wanted to take the moment to honor one of the best players I been around and the best leader I’ve ever played with. A general, who not only played at a certain level brought and made everyone else raise their standard and play. When I played with [you], I wanted to be your eyes in the backend and I hated when I let myself down but teammates like you down. The standard still the standard and the stand is excellence! Thank you for helping me elevate my game. The honor was mine to play with a legend. LOVE4eva, Capt.”
Adams was signed by the Jets as an undrafted free agent out of Illinois in 2022. Surprisingly, he made the Jets’ 53-man roster as a rookie and played in 11 games, earning his first career start in the team’s season finale. Adams won the Jets’ starting free safety job going into the 2023 season and would start 26 of his 30 appearances across the next two years.
Currently, Adams is a restricted free agent. The Jets extended a right-of-first-refusal tender to him on Monday. Under this tender, Adams can continue negotiating with other teams if he chooses, but the Jets have the right to match any offer sheet that he signs. Adams can sign the tender to return to New York on a one-year, $3.263 million deal.
Mosley’s release ends a tumultuous six-year tenure that featured lofty highs and frustrating lows. Mosley played only two games over his first two seasons in New York, missing most of 2019 due to injuries and then opting out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19. Mosley returned to start 50 of the Jets’ 51 games over the next three seasons, returning to peak form with a second-team All-Pro appearance in 2022.
In 2024, Mosley played in only four games. His absence paved the way for the emergence of Jamien Sherwood, who was voted by teammates as the Jets’ Curtis Martin Team MVP. This week, Sherwood was rewarded with a three-year, $45 million contract extension. A 2021 fourth-round pick who converted to linebacker in New York after playing safety in college, Sherwood was another young player who benefited from Mosley’s revered leadership.
It is unfortunate that Mosley could not spend more time on the field during his tenure in New York, but whether he was on the field or not, his impact on the franchise was constantly praised by teammates and coaches. Through players like Sherwood, Quincy Williams, and Adams (if he returns), Mosley will continue to positively influence the franchise for years to come.
