Time is running out for C.J. Mosley to return to the Jets this season. The high-priced linebacker has missed all but two of the Jets’ 2019 games, and surgery could be on tap soon.
The sixth-year defender underwent a platelet-rich plasma procedure recently and is hoping that will stimulate his recovery from a groin/abdomen injury to the point he can return without going under the knife. But Mosley said if the injury does not show much improvement in the next two weeks, when he will attempt to do more on-field work, he will undergo season-ending surgery.
“If I can do anything to avoid ending my season, I’m going to try it,” Mosley said, via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. “That’s really the main reason why I got the shot. I have a 50-50 chance. I’d rather do that than cut my body open. That was the thinking on that. … Worst-case scenario: I’ll have to get surgery if (recovery from the PRP injections) next week doesn’t go well.”
The Jets reshaped the off-ball linebacker market this offseason by signing Mosley to a five-year, $85MM deal. He played in Week 1, but this injury sidelined him for weeks afterward. When he returned in Week 7 against the Patriots, he aggravated the malady and was informed he would need at least five weeks to heal. It seems unlikely Mosley will be back during that timetable, and with the Jets at 3-7, the team may decide to shut down its highest-paid player.
Mosley’s cap number spikes from $13MM to $17.5MM next year. The former Ravens first-round pick received $43MM in fully guaranteed money but is obviously behind on his effort to justify the Jets’ investment, though he did return an interception for a touchdown in his first game with the team.