New York Jets: Saying Goodbye to Nick Mangold

Nick Mangold is no longer with the New York Jets, but he shouldn’t be remembered as anything less than great.

The New York Jets said goodbye to one of the best players to wear the uniform on Saturday. For anyone that hadn’t heard already, the team cut ties with long-time center Nick Mangold. He had been the man in the middle for New York since 2006. Now he is free to sign with any other team.

Mangold announced his release on Twitter on Saturday with a heartfelt message to the Jets organization and fans:

Pretty interesting how his battery power happened to be his jersey number, isn’t it?

Let’s get the business side out of the way first. This was absolutely the right move for the Jets from a business standpoint. The Jets were set to enter the offseason with the second least amount of salary cap space available and they are rebuilding by releasing older players with big cap numbers. Per Rich Cimini of ESPN, $9.1 million in cap room was cleared with Mangold’s release.

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This was the right move for the future and to help the on-field product, but that doesn’t mean that we as Jets fans are happy about it. From a sentimental standpoint, this is a tough one to stomach.

Mangold joined the team as a first-round pick in 2006, the 29th overall selection. He was selected the same year as D’Brickashaw Ferguson and both players were hallmarks of the offensive line for a decade. Upon arrival, he became the starter and didn’t miss a game until 2011. That’s right, five full seasons before he missed a single game. Even in 2011, he started 14 games, so it’s not as if he suffered through serious injury. Until 2016, he only missed two more games, one each in 2014 and 2015.

The center was as durable as they come during his Jets tenure. That did fall off the mark last year, as Mangold only started eight games. He was bothered by injury for a good portion of the season, but that doesn’t tarnish the legacy he created for the bulk of his career. That legacy is one of durability.

He wasn’t only durable. Nick Mangold was known as the best in the league for most, if not his entire time in New York. His two meetings per year with the Patriots Vince Wilfork were some of the best trench battles in the game. Not only was he great to watch, he was also recognized for his fine play. Mangold’s seven Pro Bowl selections tell the story there, as well as his two first-team All-Pro selections.

When a player remains the starter over multiple coaching changes, all questions of reliability and trust are answered. Mangold was the starting center despite going from Eric Mangini, to Rex Ryan, to Todd Bowles. His offensive coordinators went from Brian Schottenheimer, to Tony Sparano, to Marty Mornhinweg, and finally to Chan Gailey. Each had their own offensive system, yet they all trusted Mangold to lead the offensive line.

That’s a reputation of the highest order for a football player. No matter the system, Mangold was trusted to lead it. His skill was top-notch and he was as tough as they come. Even more to his credit, he was a perfect representative of the Jets off the field. He did his job and he was a rock. The players around him looked to him to be a leader, and Mangold didn’t disappoint. The signature beard was the signature player for 11 years.

Next: Revis Makes the Jets Decision Easy

No matter where his career takes him prior to retirement, he will live on in the hearts of Jets fans for years after his departure. So for the last time, at center, No. 74, Nick Mangold!