Joe Douglas and the Jets have made their first free agency splash of the offseason.
New York is signing 49ers guard Laken Tomlinson to a three-year, $40 million deal, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. The deal could be worth up to $41.2 million and includes $27 million guaranteed.
Tomlinson, 30, started the past 65 games for the 49ers and became one of the best zone-blocking guards in the NFL over the past few years in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. He finished with at least a 75.0 overall Pro Football Focus grade over the last two seasons and posted a career-high 75.2 pass-blocking grade in 2021.
The move makes sense considering how close Mike LaFleur’s offense is to the one Tomlinson played in with the 49ers. Although Tomlinson mostly played left guard in San Francisco, the Jets plan to move him to right guard, according to The Athletic’s Connor Hughes. This likely closes the door on a potential return for Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff and could signal the release of Greg Van Roten.
