The Jets made a splash with C.J. Mosley's $85M deal. He posted 9 tackles in his first year
C.J. Mosley’s first season with the New York Jets is officially over, and it went worse than anyone could have expected.
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The Jets placed Mosley on injured reserve due to a groin injury on Tuesday, ending his season after only two games played. They claimed safety Bennett Jackson, who played for the team earlier in the season, from the Baltimore Ravens in a corresponding move.
C.J. Mosley was Jets’ big FA splash
Thinking Mosley could be the centerpiece for their defense for years to come, the Jets made their biggest splash in free agency last offseason by signing the Pro-Bowler to a five-year, $85 million contract. Mosley joined the Jets after five standout seasons with the Ravens, in which he earned second-team All-Pro honors four times and averaged 114.8 total tackles per season.
As of 2019, Mosley’s contract is the biggest ever given to an inside linebacker in both total value and guaranteed money, and only surpassed in average salary by Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner’s three-year deal.
Suffice to say, the first year of that contract didn’t go as planned. Mosley injured his groin in the season opener against the Buffalo Bills — though he did notch one big highlight that game with a pick-six — then reaggravated the injury against the New England Patriots in Week 7. Now, the Jets are shutting him down for the season.
Mosley ended up appearing in only two games for the Jets in 2019, and his season totals read like a single good game from his Ravens tenure: 9 total tackles, 2 pass defenses, a fumble recovery and an interception returned for a touchdown.
Not a great year for Jets acquisitions
Obviously, it’s not Mosley’s fault for getting hurt. He could easily come back next season and look like his normal monstrous self. However, that doesn’t stop this first year from being a disappointment, or his absence from being a major reason the Jets are 4-8.
Funnily enough though, Mosley’s deal isn’t the biggest one to blow up in the Jets’ face this season. That would belong to offensive guard Kelechi Osemele, whose large contract the team acquired from the Oakland Raiders. The Jets ended up cutting Osemele in October after he underwent shoulder surgery the team insisted he did not need (the surgery discovered even more damage than expected).
There’s also the matter of running back Le’Veon Bell, who is averaging only 3.2 yards per carry after signing for $52.5 million, and head coach Adam Gase, who will be firmly on the hot seat next year if he can’t turn the team around. Given everything the Jets have been through, that may be a tall task.
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