There is no question the 2023 season quickly turned into a disaster for the New York Jets.
There was lots of optimism and even excitement after they traded for future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers and added multiple other key players, but all those good vibes quickly evaporated when Rodgers tore his Achilles on the team’s first offensive series of the season.
The Jets have some work to do this offseason if they are to become competitive in 2024, and on Monday, they made one ahead of the start of the new league year.
Per Jeremy Fowler, they released guard Laken Tomlinson, which will save them some salary cap space.
The #Jets are releasing guard Laken Tomlinson, per source.
Move saves around $8.1M on the cap.
Incredibly durable player has started 114 straight games.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) February 27, 2024
The Jets’ offensive line has been a big concern, even before Rodgers’ injury, and now that he’s 40 and coming off an injury that is always potentially career-threatening for any elite athlete, he’ll need more protection than ever.
How well he will be able to play following such a severe injury with all of the wear and tear he accumulated in 15 previous seasons as a starting QB is an open question.
New York will have the No. 10 pick in April’s draft, and it will be interesting to see if they use it on an offensive lineman, or if they may opt for a wide receiver.
They also need a legitimate WR2 — Garrett Wilson is a very good player, but Allen Lazard, who followed Rodgers to the Jets last offseason, saw a big drop in his production, as he went from 788 yards and six touchdowns in 2022 to 311 yards and one touchdown in 2023.
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