C.J. Mosley wouldn’t change his Jets decision with ‘anticipation’ set for 2024
There will be some heavy mutual admiration present Sunday on the field in Foxborough, Mass., where the Jets play the Patriots in the teams’ season finale.
There will be a time — whether it’s before the game or after it — when Bill Belichick, the venerable, record-setting, polarizing Patriots head coach, who may or may not be coaching his final game in New England, will seek out Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley for a conversation that’ll include some encouraging words.
Belichick doesn’t frivolously toss bouquets around when speaking about opposing players, but he almost never speaks about the Jets without mentioning Mosley.
You can tell by the way Belichick has coached (think “do your job”) and the way Mosley has played (think dependable) that the coach with the six Super Bowl titles would have liked to have coached the linebacker who hasn’t had a taste of a playoff game since 2018 and has played in only three postseason games in his nine-year career that has spanned 128 games and 1,059 tackles.
Mosley is a warhorse — as dependable and selfless a football player as you’ll find on any team. There’s a reason why he’s the Jets defensive captain. And a reason why he was named Friday as the recipient of the Jets’ “Selfless Warrior Award” on behalf of the coaching staff “as a person who gives the most of himself to his teammates and to his team.”
This, too, is a reason why you want more for Mosley — more games this season.
Playoff games.
Because players who put in what Mosley puts in and are as accountable as he is, never pointing fingers or showing frustration at the constant losing the Jets have endured since they made him their marquee offseason acquisition in 2019, deserve better than the 42 losses the team has across his four playing seasons.
When Mosley came to the Jets, his mission was to be a part of turning the losing culture into winning. That hasn’t happened yet and it’s been a definite source of frustration. One man, of course, cannot change the fate of an entire franchise.
“Football life is just like your real life,” Mosley told The Post on Friday. “You have a lot of expectations, you work for certain goals, certain things, but life is unpredictable and there are ups and downs throughout those times. There are going to be some wins in your life and some losses and a lot of tough times.”
