Jets set to release veteran offensive lineman

Laken Tomlinson.

Laken Tomlinson‘s stint with the Jets has ended after two seasons. The Jets are releasing the veteran offensive guard, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

The move will save the Jets more than $8M against the cap. Tomlinson was set to enter the final season of the three-year, $40M pact he signed with the organization back in 2022.

While the veteran has been a consistent presence through his two years with the organization, his future in New York was in doubt considering his $18.85M cap hit for the 2024 campaign.

The former first-round pick spent his first two seasons in Detroit before finding a home in San Francisco. He ended up spending five seasons with the 49ers, including a 2021 campaign where he earned his lone Pro Bowl nod while ranking 13th among 82 eligible guard candidates (via Pro Football Focus).

Part of the appeal of Tomlinson was his reliability, and he certainly delivered in that regard during his time with the Jets. He started all 34 of his appearances in New York, and the 32-year-old lineman has an active 114-game starting streak. However, Tomlinson wasn’t able to carry over his 49ers production during his stint in New York.

Following that aforementioned 13th-place finish in 2021, Pro Football Focus hasn’t graded Tomlinson higher than 53rd in either of his two seasons in New York. The website was especially critical of his run-blocking ability, ranking him in the bottom-20 at his position in that category this past season.

With Tomlinson officially out, the Jets will be seeking at least three new lineman next season. Depending on how the team proceeds with Alijah Vera-Tucker, the Jets could be pursuing two new offensive tackles and a new offensive guard.

There’s an expectation that the organization will look to fill at least one of those holes via free agency, and they could also turn to the draft for reinforcement (especially with their 10th overall pick).

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