Hours after adding Anthony Barr, the New York Jets made another big linebacker splash by adding the All-Pro defender from Baltimore.
The New York Jets are sparing no expense when it comes to their linebacker corps this offseason.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Jets have lured inside linebacker C.J. Mosley away from the Baltimore Ravens to the tune of a five-year, $85 million deal, featuring $51 million in guaranteed money. The deal cannot become official until the new league year opens on Wednesday.
Sources: Former #Ravens LB CJ Mosley is expected to sign with the #Jets on a massive 5-year, $85M deal worth $51M guaranteed. That’s $17M per year. It took a lot to leave Baltimore. ???
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 12, 2019
The deal comes hours after the Jets added fellow linebacker Anthony Barr, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings.
Mosley, 26, was one of the most coveted free agents on the market. It took a large price tag to lure him away from Baltimore, but the Jets believe his resume speaks for itself.
A 2014 first-round pick out of Alabama (17th overall), Mosley has reached Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors four times over his first five seasons. He ends his Ravens tenure with 597 total tackles (43 for a loss), as well as 35 passes defended, nine interceptions, and six forced fumbles.
Pro Football Focus ranked him 22nd amongst qualifying linebackers in their annual year-end rankings. In the most recent edition of NFL Network’s Top 100 Players, Mosley was ranked 98th.
His final mark on the Ravens’ franchise was a game-clinching interception in the final minute of Baltimore’s Week 17 victory over Cleveland. The 26-24 victory sealed the Ravens’ AFC North division title.
The active Jets have also made their most expensive addition yet, with Mosley’s $17 million yearly salary making him the highest-paid inside linebacker in NFL. That breaks an infantile record previously held by Kwon Alexander, who is set to ink a $13.5 million deal with San Francisco.
Mosley isn’t the only former Alabama defender to cash in during the NFL’s legal tampering period. Former New York Giants safety Landon Collins was recently called upon to sign a six-year, $84 million deal with the Washington Redskins. In Tuscaloosa, Mosley was a two-time national champion, in addition to a two-time All-American. Further college accolades include a Butkus Award and SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors, both earned in 2013.
With the additions of Mosley and Barr, not to mention the return of Avery Williamson, the Jets’ rumored shopping of Darron Lee will likely intensify. A possible destination for 2016’s first-round pick could be Tampa Bay, where one of his biggest supporters and former head coach, Todd Bowles, is the new defensive coordinator.
