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Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer
The New York Jets began to rebuild their offensive line Monday by releasing left guard Laken Tomlinson, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
The move comes as no surprise, as Tomlinson, 32, was due to count $18.9 million on the 2024 salary cap. His release will save the Jets about $8.1 million this year, meaning they get stuck with $10.7 million in dead money for 2024.
The Jets are planning to overhaul their line, which ranked among the league’s worst. With Tomlinson gone, and with tackles Mekhi Becton and Duane Brown and center Connor McGovern heading to free agency, they have only two players under contract with at least 20 starts — guard/tackle Alijah Vera-Tucker (28) and backup center/guard Wes Schweitzer (62).
Vera-Tucker, who missed most of last season with a torn Achilles, and second-year center Joe Tippmann are projected as starters. The rest of the positions are wide open.
Jets general manager Joe Douglas signed Tomlinson to a three-year, $40 million contract in 2022, but the former Detroit Lions first-round pick (2015) struggled with consistency and failed to live up to expectations. He allowed 9.5 sacks in 2023, the second most among guards, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
Tomlinson’s greatest asset is his durability; he was the one constant on a line decimated by injuries. (The Jets started 13 different combinations last season.) He didn’t miss a snap in his two seasons with the Jets and has started 114 straight games, dating to 2017, his first season with the San Francisco 49ers.
In his nine-year career with the Lions, 49ers and Jets, Tomlinson has played 146 games, including 138 starts.