The latest edge rusher domino fell Monday night, with the Jets securing a commitment from Carl Lawson. The former Bengals defensive end agreed to terms with the Jets, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Lawson landed a three-year, $45MM deal to join Robert Saleh in New York, Rapoport adds (via Twitter). The Jets are shifting to a 4-3 defense under Saleh, and they will sign a player with four years’ experience as a 4-3 end. Lawson can earn up to $47.4MM on this contract, per Rapoport.
A former fourth-round Bengals pick, Lawson has not produced high sack numbers. But he broke through in terms of pressure last season. Only T.J. Watt recorded more QB hits than Lawson, who registered 32. This came along with 5.5 sacks.
Edge rusher has resided as a Jets need for many years. They attempted to trade for Khalil Mack and tried to convert Anthony Barr into an edge two offseasons ago, among other efforts to fill the need. Last year, the team surprisingly passed on edges in free agency and the draft, only re-signing Jordan Jenkins. The Jets, who also traded Leonard Williams in 2019, struggled to pressure quarterbacks in a 2-14 season. Lawson will be expected to be New York’s lead rusher next season.
The Bengals have now parted ways with Lawson and Carlos Dunlap in recent months, though the latter is back on the market after the Seahawks released him. Rumored to be a franchise tag candidate, Lawson did not receive such treatment from the Bengals. Despite suffering a torn ACL in 2018, the former Auburn D-lineman cashed in. Given the 49ers’ D-line situation under Saleh, it is unlikely Lawson will be the only notable move for the Jets here.
Winston to NO 1YR 12MIL
Apparently he wanted money , and doesn’t care about winning at all.
Winning at the bank!
How dare he want to be as well compensated for his chosen profession as he could. The gall of some people
Your beta male is showing. Real competitors want to win. Sure cashing in fun, but we all know the Jets aren’t going to even be in the mix for at least 5 years or whenever they quit messing around and get a QB.
Meh
Jets fans will be happy… enjoyed watching him in Cincy. One heck of a motor
Good move for NYJ. I’d expect Saleh to use Lawson like Dee Ford (when Ford was healthy), but at a heavier clip. Ford in San Fran ended up rotating in and out a good bit due to the 9ers’ depth and his injury troubles. Lawson can do a lot of Ford does, but will certainly play more snaps. The Jets have a while to go though in building up some more interior pressure to complement Williams and now Lawson. This is a decent start, however.