After 11 seasons, the Jets have decided to part ways with former first-round pick Nick Mangold.
The long-time center took to Twitter on Saturday to announce that he’s been released, a move that the Jets confirmed a short while later.
“As will be announced by the team shortly, my time as a New York Jet has come to an end,” Mangold wrote in a statement. “While this is a sad day to leave so many great coaches, teammates and executives, I look forward to seeing what the future holds for me. My family and I will always be grateful to [Jets owner Woody] Johnson and the entire organization for making me a Jet.”
Mangold also took some time to thanks the fans that have cheered him on since 2006, when the Jets made him the 29th overall pick in the NFL Draft.
“I truly want to thank the fans for their amazing supports over the past 11 years,” Mangold wrote. “It means a lot to see all the No. 74 jerseys in the crowd every Sunday. Thank you all for a fantastic 11 years!”
The Jets went into the offseason with one of the ugliest salary cap situations in the NFL, and over the past two weeks, they’ve been doing their best to fix that.
On Feb. 15, the Jets declined to pick up the option of left tackle Ryan Clady, a move that saved the team $10 million in salary cap money. The Jets followed that up on Thursday by cutting kicker Nick Folk and right tackle Breno Giacomini, two moves that combined to save the Jets roughly $7.5 million in cap space.
According to Spotrac, the Jets will save another $9.075 million with the release of Mangold. The 33-year-old center was due to make $6.075 million in base salary in 2017, plus another $3 million in bonus money.
With Mangold gone, it looks like the Jets are confident in turning to Wesley Johnson to take over at the position that Mangold has played since 2006.
After being selected in the first round, Mangold played in at least 14 games in each of his first 10 seasons with the Jets. The durable center didn’t really have to deal with any injuries until last season, when he missed eight games.
Based on his Twitter statement, it doesn’t look like Mangold will be retiring, which means he could be in for a big pay day when free agency begins on March 9.
