It's truly the end of an era. The New York Jets released C Nick Mangold earlier today, putting an end to his 11-year career with the Gang Green. Mangold, 33, was drafted in the 1st round of the 2006 draft at #29 overall, and later arguably became the best center in the league for a number of seasons. He's a 7-time Pro Bowler and a 2-time First team All-Pro.
Mangold missed only 12 games in his entire career, 8 of them were last season. He was going to count $9.075M against the salary cap, making this a rather expected yet dramatic move by the team. The Jets will save all $9.075M, clearing a big chunk of cap space.
C Wesley Johnson could be Mangold's replacement, although it's possible the Jets could seek another center in free agency or the draft. Johnson has only nine career starts; eight of them came last season.