Nick Mangold announces retirement, will sign one-day contract with Jets

Nick Mangold, one of the best offensive linemen to ever wear a Jets uniform, has called it a career. 

The 34-year-old announced his retirement Tuesday, more than 16 months after playing his final game and 14 months after the Jets cut him.

Mangold, who played his entire 11-season career as the Jets' starting center, will sign a one-day contract and be honored at a press conference at the team's facility next Tuesday.  

In a lengthy letter posted to Twitter, Mangold recalled falling in love with football at his first pee-wee practice in 1993 and said that everything on his journey from those fields, to Ohio State "molded me for the opportunity to play for the New York Jets."

"In my 11 years as a Jet, there were plenty of ups and downs," Mangold wrote, "but, through it all, I wanted to be the Steady Eddie. I wanted to be the guy that other guys looked at to see how it was done."

Mangold became one of the faces of the franchise in his decade-long run as the Jets starting center, known for his long blond hair and fun-loving personality. He was also one of the best and most durable centers in football.

In his letter, Mangold thanked owner Woody Johnson and Eric Mangini and Mike Tannenbaum, the coach and general manager who "took a chance on me" with the 29th overall pick in the 2006 draft. 

And Mangold immediately made Jets management look smart for taking that chance. He started the first 82 games of his career missed only four to of a possible 160 games in his first 210 seasons. 

Mangold selected to the Pro Bowl seven times and was twice honored as a First Team All-Pro. He was the starting center in all 171 games he played for the Jets, including the playoffs.

The Jets made it to the AFC championship game twice with Mangold as their starting center in the 2009 and 2010 seasons, but haven't returned to the playoffs since.

"My biggest regret is not bringing the Lombardi Trophy to New York," Mangold wrote, "but as I retire, I will continue my efforts to bring the Trophy home in a different capacity. I have no idea what that capacity is, but I'm sure I will figure something out in the future." 

An ankle injury in 2016 proved to be Mangold's downfall, as he missed eight of the final nine games that season. In the midst of a major roster rebuild, the Jets cut Mangold in February of 2017, despite his publicly-stated desire to continue playing.

Mangold admitted that the move sting and said he planned to test free agency. In the end, Mangold made only one free-agent visit with the Ravens. And with his ankle still not 100 percent, he sat out the 2017 season. 

Tuesday, Mangold finally decided to call it a career, ensuring he the Jets' green and white were the only NFL colors he would ever wear.

Email: vasqueza@northjersey.com

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