There were times when it looked like C.J. Mosley finally had a chance to return this season, even as the outlook remained uncertain.
Light tackling practice after the Jets' bye week at the end of November.
At the same time, there will also be an update stating that we are moving in the right direction.
Full practice begins this week in the coming days leading up to the Week 14 game against the Dolphins.
But there was a hint of such progress Friday, when Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich said he intended to place Mosley, who hasn't played since Oct. 20 due to a herniated disc in his neck, on injured reserve. all disappeared. his season.
He will be eligible to return for the final game against the Dolphins in Week 18 after missing the additional four games required for IR, but that seems unlikely.
And with a $12.784 million cap hit next season, the final year of his five-year contract, Mosley could have played his final game in a Jets uniform.
“This was a very proud, difficult decision made by a great player and leader, all of which were important to us,” Ulbrich said Friday. “It was not an easy decision for him, but it was the best decision for him and our organization.”
Mosley had already missed three games with a toe injury earlier this season, but the 32-year-old's campaign took a frightening turn before the Jets-Patriots game on Oct. 27 — gradually adding to the lineup. in a limited role, which was only his second game since he started returning to the league.
He gave a pregame speech on the field. He started moving toward the other linebackers to warm up. It was no different than any other week.
He's done this pregame routine countless times before. With the Jets. He joined the Ravens, who selected him in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Before that, he played with his college team, Alabama.
But Mosley said last month that his neck was “stiff,” The Post's Brian Costello reported.
He felt a “burning” sensation. And that created a lot of unknowns about what the rest of his season, and the rest of his Jets and NFL career, would look like.
After the injury, doctors told Mosley he wouldn't need surgery, but despite practicing on a limited or full capacity for three days last week and logging a full session on Wednesday, Mosley didn't feel comfortable enough to return. Couldn't get cured.
So his 2024 record will end up like this: His 17 total tackles were his fewest in a season since 2019, when he injured his groin just two games into his career with the Jets and sat out the rest of the season.
However, when Mosley returned to the linebacker spot in 2021 and remained in the lineup after opting out of the 2020 season, which occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, he became the Jets' He became the center of the defense.
Mosley's five-year, $85 million contract was the first they signed him after the Ravens let him become a free agent in 2019.
He took a pay cut when he agreed to a revised two-year contract this offseason, but his role remained the same.
Mosley had 152 tackles in each of the past three seasons entering 2024, serving as one of the veteran voices in the locker room and helping stabilize the Jets amid recent losses and dysfunction.
“I might have nightmares here and there, but I can sleep easy knowing I gave everything to this team and my teammates,” Mosley told the Post's Mark Cannizzaro last week. “At the end of the day, if you're going to be on the highest pedestal, you're going to be judged on wins and losses and championships. That's why I came here. That's why I'm still here. And… That will be my goal and motivation as long as I stay here.”
The Jets already have a logical replacement for Mosley in the short and long term.
Jamian Sherwood, who is in his fourth season and will need a new contract in the offseason, has started 11 games in Mosley's place this year and leads the Jets with 107 tackles.
He also took over Green Dot for communications.
But now the Jets will once again be without their defensive quarterback Sunday for the rest of the season and possibly into the future.
Mosley's future is the biggest wrinkle as he enters a period full of unknowns and uncertainties, including the prospect of Aaron Rodgers, a new head coach and a new general manager.
