Well, it looks like former New York Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley didn’t want to hang up the cleats this offseason. At the very least, it may not have been his first choice.
According to CBS Baltimore’s Rick Ritter, Mosley was hoping for a reunion with the Baltimore Ravens, the team that drafted him into the NFL (2014), and there was mutual interest. However, due to a neck injury suffered during the 2024 season, he was unable to be cleared to play.
On his 33rd birthday, which fell on Thursday, C.J. Mosley announced his retirement from the NFL in a highlight-filled Instagram video, ending an 11-year career as one of the league’s most steady middle linebackers.
“Today, it is time to wake up from my childhood dream and share it with the next generation,” Mosley wrote. “I spent my whole life and career building my legacy. Now it’s time to start a new chapter with new dreams. It won’t be easy, but I’m here to tell you every sacrifice is worth it.”
A first-round pick out of Alabama in 2014, Mosley was selected 17th overall by the Ravens and made an immediate impact, earning Pro Bowl honors as a rookie.
He went on to earn four more Pro Bowl nods with the Ravens from 2016 to 2018 before signing a five-year, $85 million contract with the New York Jets in 2019. He spent six seasons in New York before being released in March.
Over the course of his 11-year NFL career, Mosley totaled 1,083 tackles, 12 sacks, 12 interceptions, 10 forced fumbles, and nine fumble recoveries. He was named to the Pro Bowl five times and earned second-team All-Pro honors on four occasions, establishing himself as one of the league’s most dependable linebackers.
Injuries hampered the final stretch of his career. Mosley appeared in just four games (three starts) during the 2024 season, registering 17 tackles before a toe injury and a herniated disc in his neck shut him down for the remainder of the year.
Although injuries prevented the farewell tour he had hoped for, C.J. Mosley concludes his NFL career as a respected locker room leader and multiple-time All-Pro.
