Connor McGovern (Missouri)

Jets Claim C Connor McGovern

November 12th, 2024 at 9:31pm CST by Ben Levine

And just like that, Connor McGovern is back in New York. The Jets announced that they’ve claimed the veteran offensive lineman off waivers. McGovern was waived by the Saints yesterday.

McGovern started the 2024 campaign in New York after catching on with the team’s practice squad. The Saints snagged the lineman in early October and added him to the active roster, where he proceeded to start five of his six appearances. However, with both Erik McCoy and Shane Lemieux nearing full health, the Saints decided to suddenly move on from their fill-in.

Back in New York, McGovern’s situation will be similar to what he faced earlier in the year. 2023 second-round pick Joe Tippmann is firmly entrenched as the team’s center, with backup center Alec Lindstrom generating only three special teams snaps this year. There’s a chance McGovern only makes a brief stop on the active roster before inevitably landing back on the practice squad.

Still, McGovern represents some worthwhile depth for the organization. The lineman joined the Jets ahead of the 2020 campaign and proceeded to start all 48 of his appearances through his first three seasons with the team. He suffered a dislocated kneecap last October that limited him to only seven starts in 2023.

Saints Waive Connor McGovern

November 11th, 2024 at 5:55pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Saints have waived center Connor McGovern, per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, potentially to make space for Erik McCoy, who was designated for return from injured reserve last week.

New Orleans signed McGovern off the Jets’ practice squad at the beginning of October after a rash of injuries to their offensive line, including McCoy’s groin injury that required surgery and a stint on IR. With Shane Lemieux landing on injured reserve after Week 4, the Saints needed another center on the roster until McCoy completed his recovery.

Lucas Patrick started Week 5 at center for New Orleans, but had to move back to left guard after an injury to Nick Saldivieri. McGovern finished the game at center and started the next five games, allowing just eight pressures and zero sacks across 369 total snaps, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

But with Lemieux coming off injured reserve last week and McCoy nearing full health, the Saints moved on from McGovern. Since he was released after the trade deadline, he is subject to waivers and can be claimed by any NFL team. As an experienced lineman who has proven he is healthy after an injury ended his 2023 season, McGovern could draw interest on waivers by a team that needs center depth for the rest of the season. If he clears waivers, he is free to sign to any team’s active roster or practice squad.

The Saints recorded their third win of the year after firing head coach Dennis Allen last week. McCoy’s return should help stabilize the offensive line in front of Derek Carr, but his top receivers, Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave, are both on injured reserve, limiting the ceiling of a Saints offense that scored 91 points across their first two games but has averaged just 17 points per game since.

Saints Sign Veteran C Connor McGovern Off Jets’ Practice Squad

October 4th, 2024 at 3:02pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Saints have signed veteran offensive lineman Connor McGovern from the Jets’ practice squad, per Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football, giving them another option at center after Erik McCoy landed on injured reserve at the end of September.

To make room for McGovern on the active roster, the Saints waived 2023 sixth-round pick A.T. Perry, per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell.

McGovern’s signing happened shortly after Lucas Patrick missed Friday’s practice with a new injury of his own, according to Triplett. Patrick took over at center when McCoy went down before moving to left guard in Week 4 after an injury to Cesar Ruiz. Week 1 starting left guard Landon Young moved to the right side, pressing Shane Lemieux into his first career action at center. Lemieux and Ruiz both missed practice on Thursday and Friday, so Patrick’s addition to the injury report leaves the Saints severely depleted along the interior of their offensive line. With almost 5,000 career snaps at center and several starts at right guard, McGovern was an ideal signing for a depleted New Orleans squad.

It is rare for a proven veteran offensive lineman to be available this late in the season, but McGovern played in just seven games in 2023 before a dislocated kneecap forced him on season-ending injured reserve. While he was sidelined, second-round pick Joe Tippmann took over at center, leaving McGovern without a clear starting job entering this season for the first time since he was a rookie.

While McGovern faces an uphill battle to play in Week 5, he has seven years of NFL experience and previously played under Saints offensive line coach John Benton in New York, so he could could have a shot at playing on Sunday. Justin Pugh famously came “straight off the couch” to start for the Giants last season, and McGovern could be in a similar position this week.

The Saints’ offense leads the NFL in under center and play action rate, two staples of Klint Kubiak‘s offense that make life easier for offensive linemen. With plenty of experience under his belt, it would not be surprising to see McGovern learn the Saints playbook and take the field if necessary in Week 5.

Waiving Perry is a somewhat surprising move by the Saints after they drafted him in the sixth round of the 2023 draft. New Orleans sent Adam Trautman and a seventh-rounder to the Broncos in exchange for the pick they used on Perry, who made the 53-man roster and appeared in 10 games as a rookie. He emerged as a deep threat later in the season, averaging 20.5 yards on his 12 receptions. Perry was listed as the third wide receiver on the Saints’ depth chart, but will now have to clear waivers and potentially sign with the practice squad to stay in New Orleans.

C Connor McGovern Contemplated Retirement Before Jets Reunion

September 12th, 2024 at 4:02pm CST by Adam La Rose

Connor McGovern returned to the Jets yesterday when he inked a practice squad deal. The veteran center thought his career had ended following the knee injury which ended his 2023 campaign, however.

“After I got hurt, I called my wife and was like, ‘Well, that’s it. We’re hanging ’em up,” McGovern said (via ESPN’s Rich Cimini). “If or when this team goes to the playoffs and if I wasn’t helping in some capacity, I’d be pretty disappointed that I didn’t seize any opportunity. I had to come have another ride with this group and be a part of something special.”

McGovern held a starting role at center from his arrival with the Jets in 2020 through the dislocated kneecap which limited him to just seven contests last campaign. The 31-year-old’s agent encouraged him to remain in shape through the offseason, Cimini notes, and it ultimately allowed him to return to New York. 2023 second-rounder Joe Tippmann took over at center after McGovern’s injury, and he remains in place atop the depth chart.

With Wes Schweitzer on injured reserve due to a hand injury, though, McGovern is now in place as the Jets’ backup at the position. Schweitzer will be out for at least the next three weeks and the Missouri alum could take his place on the active roster via gameday elevations. Players can be brought onto the roster via an elevation up to three times, and it would come as no surprise if New York took that route with McGovern.

If Tippmann remains healthy, McGovern will be unlikely to see any playing time in 2024. He will be an experienced option if called upon, however, and any action would add to his 102 career appearances. It remains to be seen if McGovern explores another contract after the season, but for at least the time being he will extend his career over a short span.

Jets Sign C Connor McGovern To Practice Squad

September 11th, 2024 at 5:32pm CST by Ben Levine

Connor McGovern is back in New York. The Jets have added their former starting center to the practice squad, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. To make room, the team released running back Xazavian Valladay from the p-squad.

The former Broncos fifth-round pick caught on with the Jets in 2020 and proceeded to spend four years with the organization. He started all 55 of his appearances with the Jets, including 2021 and 2022 campaigns where Pro Football Focus graded him as one of the better players at his position.

The veteran re-signed with the Jets last offseason and started the team’s first seven games. However, he suffered a dislocated kneecap in October that ended his season prematurely.

With 2023 second-round pick Joe Tippmann establishing himself as the team’s long-term answer at center, McGovern wasn’t re-signed this offseason. The team has already reversed course, as Wes Schweitzer‘s hand injury opened a spot on the depth chart. The team is currently rolling without a backup center, so it shouldn’t take long for McGovern to earn a promotion to the active roster.

Valladay went undrafted during last year’s draft and had stints with the Texans and Steelers before landing in New York. He spent the majority of his rookie season on New York’s practice squad, and he was destined for a similar role in 2024. Per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Valladay could eventually find himself back on the Jets taxi squad, but the team needed the temporary spot for their veteran lineman acquisition.

Jets To Place C Connor McGovern, G Wes Schweitzer On IR

October 30th, 2023 at 2:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jets managed an improbable win Sunday, but their offensive line left the Giants matchup in bad shape. In addition to being without Joe Tippmann, the Jets lost his replacement and their starting center.

Connor McGovern suffered a dislocated kneecap, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, and Robert Saleh confirmed the veteran center will head to IR. Ditto Wes Schweitzer, a veteran backup with significant starting experience. Schweitzer left Sunday’s overtime win with a calf injury.

Coming into the Giants tilt without Duane Brown as well, the Jets’ O-line IR contingent is now crowded. Brown, who spent most of the offseason rehabbing a rotator cuff surgery, is down with a hip injury. Saleh said this will be the earliest window for Brown to return to practice, despite the 38-year-old being eligible to practice last week.

Both McGovern and Schweitzer are in play to come back this season, per Saleh, but this obviously deals a blow to a Jets team that has seen injuries destabilize their offense. McGovern also may need surgery, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini tweets, but the team is hoping he can rehab without a procedure and return in 2023. While Saleh said the team would be interested in adding an O-lineman before the trade deadline (via the New York Post’s Brian Costello), he cautioned that a move was unlikely due to teams’ presumptive unwillingness to jettison a blocker.

After seeing Aaron Rodgers go down on his fourth play with the team, the Jets lost Brown once again. The former Texans and Seahawks Pro Bowler has missed the past five games. McGovern and Schweitzer are guaranteed to miss four. Gang Green is still in good shape, activations-wise, holding seven entering Week 9. But the O-line figures to comprise multiple such moves going forward.

The Jets re-signed McGovern this offseason — on what turned out to be a massive pay cut, considering he played out a three-year deal worth $27MM — and have only once needed to worry about an injury replacement during his four-season stay. McGovern, 30, started all but one game on his previous Jets contract. He re-signed on a one-year, $1.92MM deal but beat out Schweitzer and Tippmann this offseason. A former Broncos fourth-round pick, McGovern has started every Jets game this season.

Schweitzer, 30, has only started one game, having replaced Tippmann against the Giants. The Jets gave Schweitzer a two-year, $5MM deal before they reconvened with McGovern about a second contract. Schweitzer represented experienced depth for the team, having started 60 games with Atlanta and Washington from 2017-22. An early-season concussion cut his 2022 campaign short, limiting the former sixth-round pick to seven games last year. While Schweitzer bounced back to compete for a Jets starting role this offseason, he settled into a utility spot.

Tippmann missed Week 8 with a thigh injury, but the second-round rookie remains on the active roster. As of now, however, only Laken Tomlinson and Mekhi Becton remain healthy among Jets first-string O-linemen. The Jets were forced to turn to Billy Turner, who had been working more at guard in practice recently, and practice squad elevation Xavier Newman-Johnson in place of the injured vets. Turner should be expected to start at right guard moving forward. Prior to returning to Denver to follow Nathaniel Hackett last year, Turner had spent time at guard in Green Bay. The 32-year-old blocker’s first Denver stint also included guard work, which will allow the Jets to make good use of their veteran O-line depth.

Jets DT Al Woods Tears Achilles

October 29th, 2023 at 6:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the NFL’s oldest active players, Al Woods has run into a rough late-career break. The Jets defensive tackle sustained an Achilles tear during the second quarter of today’s Giants matchup, per HC Robert Saleh, and will miss the rest of the season.

The well-traveled veteran has played in at least 12 games in each of the past 10 seasons, becoming a regular inside on a handful of teams. The Jets represented the latest, signing the big-bodied lineman to a one-year, $2.25MM deal this offseason.

At 36, Woods is the NFL’s second-oldest defender — behind only Calais Campbell, who was also a Jets target. (Though, he is only the third-oldest Jet, with Aaron Rodgers and Duane Brown on offense.) While Campbell trekked to Atlanta, Woods wound up in New York and moved into a regular rotational role on the Jets’ stout defense. Woods came into Sunday having played 38% of Gang Green’s defensive snaps over his five games this season. Woods finishes his season with a sack and two tackles for loss.

Woods has played in 166 games over the course of his 14-year career. He spent the past three seasons as a key run-stopping presence in Seattle. The Seahawks had extended him through 2023, but amid another defensive retool, the team moved on in March. Saleh was in Seattle as a low-level assistant during Woods’ first Pacific Northwest cameo — in 2011 — and brought him to New York weeks later. Considering his age, it is fair to wonder if this injury will end the former Seahawks, Buccaneers, Steelers, Titans and Colts interior defender’s career.

The Jets remain fairly well situated inside, despite losing Sheldon Rankins this offseason. The team added ex-Woods Seahawks teammate Quinton Jefferson to go with Quinnen Williams and Solomon Thomas. Veteran Tanzel Smart resides on New York’s practice squad.

New York also lost its starting center, Connor McGovern, to a kneecap injury. The eighth-year veteran will undergo an MRI, but NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes an absence is expected. Like Woods, McGovern signed this offseason. But the former Broncos draftee has been the Jets’ starting center for the past four seasons. Though, the team brought him back at a substantially reduced rate compared to the three-year, $27MM deal he signed in 2020. McGovern is playing on a one-year, $1.92MM contract. The Jets also played without second-round pick Joe Tippmann, viewed as the team’s long-term center, on Sunday.

Joe Tippmann Not In Mix For Jets’ C Job?

August 2nd, 2023 at 11:50am CST by Sam Robinson

The Jets did not make Connor McGovern a high priority this offseason, waiting until just before the draft to re-sign him. A three-year Jets center starter, McGovern signed a one-year deal worth $1.92MM.

Although McGovern may eventually be asked to step aside for second-round pick Joe Tippmann, that point might not come in Week 1. McGovern and veteran Wes Schweitzer are the top two players battling for the job, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com notes (on Twitter).

Pegged as a player set to make a push to start going into camp, Tippmann is running third in this competition. Robert Saleh said the team would like to have a winner here after its second preseason game. Seeing as the winner in this competition will be the center on the highest-profile Jets team in over a decade, this matchup takes on a bit more importance. The Jets have big question marks at both tackle spots, and guard Alijah Vera-Tucker is coming back after a triceps tear ended his second season. The team’s first-string center will obviously play a critical role on the team’s first Aaron Rodgers-piloted offense.

The Jets chose Tippmann 43rd overall. That draft status suggests the Wisconsin product will be asked to start, but the AFC East may feature two O-lines with Connor McGoverns in first-string roles (the Bills signed the former Cowboys guard in March). This would, of course, not be new territory for the elder of the NFL’s blocking McGoverns; the Jets have used the former Broncos draftee as their starting center throughout the 2020s.

McGovern, 30, missed just two games over the course of the three-year, $27MM deal the Jets authorized in 2020. This year’s center market featured several free agents re-signing for lower-end money. Ethan Pocic (Browns), Jake Brendel (49ers), Garrett Bradbury (Vikings) and Bradley Bozeman (Panthers) returned to their respective teams. While this quartet all received between $4MM and $6MM per year to re-sign, it left McGovern with fewer opportunities. The Jets guaranteed the veteran starter just $1.25MM.

Pro Football Focus graded the Mizzou alum as a top-10 center in each of the past two seasons, but despite GM Joe Douglas being in power when the Jets initially signed McGovern, the team made it a priority to select Tippmann early. They also gave Schweitzer a bigger contract, signing the ex-Atlanta and Washington interior O-lineman to a one-year, $5MM deal in March. That pact came with $3.17MM guaranteed. That contract suggests an even matchup with McGovern, despite the latter’s experience in New York.

Schweitzer, who will turn 30 next month, has made 60 career starts. Twenty-four of those came in Washington. PFF rated Schweitzer 27th among centers last season, though he only played in seven games due to a lengthy concussion-induced absence. The advanced metrics site rated Schweitzer as a top-10 guard in 2021, however. The loser of the competition could represent interior O-line depth alongside Tippmann’s heir apparent role, but New York’s tackle situation complicates that from a numbers perspective.

Latest On Jets’ Center, Tackle Competitions

July 23rd, 2023 at 9:58am CST by Rory Parks

Despite serving as a capable starting center for the last four years, Connor McGovern — who just completed a three-year, $27MM deal that he signed with the Jets in 2020 — did not find much of a market for his services this offseason. In April, McGovern signed a modest one-year, $1.92MM contract to remain with New York, and he watched the team draft Wisconsin snapper Joe Tippmann several days later.

While Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic (subscription required) recently reported that McGovern will get every chance to retain his starting job, he ultimately believes the club will hand the reins over to Tippmann for the start of the regular season. Rich Cimini of ESPN.com likewise believes McGovern is merely an “insurance policy” for the rookie.

In the eyes of Pro Football Focus, McGovern finished as the 10th-best center out of 36 qualifiers in 2022, with solid scores for both his pass-blocking and run-blocking. PFF was similarly high on the Missouri product in 2021, but Gang Green clearly believed an upgrade was in order. As Cimini notes, McGovern ranked near the bottom of the league in ESPN’s pass- and run-block win rate metrics, and as the Jets are eyeing a deep playoff push, they are obviously trying to field the best lineup possible and will not give McGovern a boost because of his tenure with the team or the locker room respect that he enjoys.

Whichever player wins the right to snap the ball to Aaron Rodgers will be sandwiched by Laken Tomlinson and Alijah Vera-Tucker at the guard positions. As Jets fans know all too well, however, there is plenty of intrigue surrounding the OT slots.

Mekhi Becton, a former first-rounder who was initially drafted to be the team’s franchise left tackle, has been plagued by knee injuries and conditioning problems, and after playing in Week 1 of the 2021 season, he has missed the last 33 games. Becton has lost a signficiant amount of weight in an effort to get his career back on track, and he has made it clear that he wants to return to the blindside. But recent reporting suggests that veteran Duane Brown — who has five Pro Bowls on his resume and who signed with New York last August when it becamse clear that Becton would miss the entire 2022 campaign — has the inside track to remain in that role.

The problem is that Brown is still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and is presently unable to practice. That would seem to open the door for Becton to at least narrow the gap between himself and Brown on the left tackle depth chart, but as Brian Costello of the New York Post recently tweeted, Becton is currently taking LT reps with the second team, while free agent addition Billy Turner is working with the first-stringers. Connor Hughes of SNY.tv, meanwhile, says Becton is not a full participant just yet (Twitter link).

The fact that the Jets are taking it easy with Becton does not necessarily mean that he has suffered some sort of setback; at this point, any sort of participation on his part is encouraging. Still, it appears that the only way in which Becton will open the season as the starting left tackle is if Brown is unable to play, so Becton’s quickest path to a starting gig may be at right tackle (much to his chagrin). Turner, who worked under new offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett in Green Bay and Denver, will also be in the mix for that job, and Rosenblatt believes Turner will be the team’s Week 1 RT, with Becton or 2022 fourth-rounder Max Mitchell getting the nod later on.

Jets Rumors: OL, Rodgers, Hennessy, Brownlee, Duvernay-Tardif

May 7th, 2023 at 8:25pm CST by Ely Allen

The Jets landed a gamechanger at quarterback this spring, and now it’s up to them to figure out how to protect him. Head coach Robert Saleh made sure to communicate that the plan is to play the five best linemen, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post, clarifying that the center and tackle spots, specifically, will be open for competition.

The guard spots are presumably safe. Despite a down year for Laken Tomlinson, the Jets signed him to a three-year deal last year to start at guard. After an admirable rookie year as a starter, Alijah Vera-Tucker put together a strong start to his sophomore season last year, even being forced into playing tackle due to injuries before a torn triceps injury of his own sidelined him for the rest of the year. Confirming earlier reports, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post recently reported that Vera-Tucker is still on track to return from his injury by training camp.

At tackle, Mekhi Becton is also slated to return in time for training camp after missing all but one game of last season due to an avulsion fracture of his right knee. Duane Brown mostly held down the left tackle position while right tackle was mostly handled by Vera-Tucker, Max Mitchell, and George Fant. Fant departed as a free agent, but the team brought in veteran tackle Billy Turner from Denver who can compete for the position, as well.

At center, Connor McGovern has handled starting duties in New York for the last three years, grading out as a top 10 center in the league in each of the past two seasons, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The Jets only re-signed McGovern to a one-year contract, though, so it may not be so surprising that his job is open for competition. That point was further dictated by New York drafting one of the top center prospects in the draft, Wisconsin’s Joe Tippmann, in the second round as the first center off the board. Despite McGovern’s recent years of success, Tippmann may represent the future at the position for the Jets.

Here are a few more rumors surrounding Gang Green this offseason:

Speaking of the Aaron Rodgers acquisition, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer indicated that Rodgers playing two more years was reportedly a big part of the team’s discussions with him before the trade. That supposed dedication was only reinforced when Rodgers claimed that he would participate in offseason workouts. Many veterans don’t feel the need to attend such workouts, but considering Rodgers is new to the facility, NBC Sports’ Mike Florio’s report that he plans on being present for “more than half” of the remaining offseason workouts is encouraging for Jets fans.
New York recently re-signed long snapper Thomas Hennessy to a four-year extension. The new deal, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, has a value of $5.97MM. The deal has a guaranteed amount of $1.96MM consisting of an $875K signing bonus and Hennessy’s first year base salary of $1.08MM. $670K of his 2024 salary is guaranteed for injury at signing, and the rest of the $1.21MM will become fully guaranteed on the fifth league day of the 2024 season. He’s set for base salaries of $1.26MM in 2025, $1.3MM in 2026, and $1.35MM in 2027, but the contract has a potential out built in after this season that would allow the Jets to cut Hennessy after this year with only $700K of dead cap.
The Jets recently included Southern Mississippi wide receiver Jason Brownlee in their group of undrafted free agents. New York was clearly eager to ink Brownlee, giving the rookie a $246K guarantee, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN. That amount is the equivalent of the guarantee given to a low fifth-round pick.
With all their offensive line suffering so many injuries last year, the Jets were happy to have the help of veteran Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. Now, with his contract expired, Duvernay-Tardif may have set his sights past football. The medical school graduate has been spinning several plates since the season ended, working shifts in the emergency department of the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, starting a Masters of Public Health program at Harvard, and promoting a French skin care brand. Still, while Duvernay-Tardif maintains that medicine is still his future, he hasn’t committed to retiring claiming that he’s still in shape “if the phone rings in October.”

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