Joe Douglas has devoted premium resources to the offensive line in every offseason he has been the Jets general manager. That continued on Monday.
The team agreed to a deal with former 49ers guard Laken Tomlinson, according to sources, shortly after the NFL free-agency negotiating window opened. The two sides agreed to a three-year, $40 million contract with $27 million guaranteed, according to a source. It has a maximum value of $41.2 million with incentives. The deal cannot become official until 4 p.m. Wednesday when the new league year begins.
Tomlinson, 30, gives the Jets an immediate upgrade at guard. He knows the system from the last five years with the 49ers. Jets coach Robert Saleh, offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur and offensive line coach John Benton all know Tomlinson from their time in San Francisco.
Laken Tomlinson (#75) has signed with the Jets Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty ImagesA 2015 first-round pick by the Lions, Tomlinson made the Pro Bowl last year. He is durable, missing no snaps in the last three seasons. The Jets see him as a smart, versatile guard that will bring some nastiness to their line and leadership to the locker room. PFF ranked Tomlinson the 13th guard out of 82 it graded in 2021.
Tomlinson is expected to slot in at right guard, replacing the tandem of Greg Van Roten and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif from last season. But he has played left guard his entire career, so it may be an adjustment. The Jets have Alijah Vera-Tucker, a first-round pick a year ago, at left guard. The Jets feel both players are versatile enough to play either side but it seems more likely the Jets will ask Tomlinson to flip to the right side.
The move also affects the Jets’ draft plans, as it now seems unlikely they would draft one of the top tackles — Ickey Ekwonu or Evan Neal — at No. 4. The thought had been the Jets might draft one of them and play him at guard for a year before sliding him to tackle in 2023, but drafting one now would mean playing him at tackle where the Jets have Mekhi Becton and George Fant.
Tomlinson’s deal is said to be for three years with $27 million guaranteed Michael ZagarisWhile Douglas was able to bolter the offensive line, he took a hit on the defensive line. Folorunso Fatukasi left in free agency, agreeing to a three-year, $30 million contract with the Jaguars, according to a source. The deal has $20 million guaranteed. The 2018 sixth-round pick developed into a key piece of the Jets’ defense. PFF ranked him 49th out of 110 interior defensive linemen in 2021. But the Jets were not going to give Fatukasi, who is from Far Rockaway, a deal that paid him $10 million a year. They already have a lot of money tied up in their defensive line with Carl Lawson and John Frankiln-Myers and they will likely give Quinnen Williams a contract extension in 2023.
Douglas entered free agency committed to taking a methodical approach and not overpaying for players. Tomlinson made sense for the Jets because he is a scheme fit and the coaching staff has familiarity with him. At $13 million per year, Tomlinson is one of the highest-paid guards in the NFL but the contract is not outrageous.
The Jets still have plenty of holes to fill. It will be interesting to see what they do at wide receiver, cornerback and safety still after they addressed another need by signing tight end C.J. Uzomah to a three-year, $24 million deal. The wide receiver market got a huge boost with the Jaguars giving Christian Kirk a contract that pays him $18 million a season. Douglas will be waiting to see who is left at receiver after the money comes down. Stephon Gilmore is the best option at cornerback. The safety market was slow to develop as of Monday evening.
