3 NY Jets free agents who could be forced into retirement

1. Duane Brown, OT, NY Jets

The Jets made the controversial decision to enter the 2024 season with Duane Brown as their starting left tackle. It was a bold choice for a variety of reasons.

Brown was coming off major offseason shoulder surgery and was set to 38 years old before the start of the season. The Jets were banking on Brown not only staying healthy but playing at a reliable enough level.

Ultimately, Brown would miss most of the summer as he rehabbed his injury before landing on the injured reserve after just two games played. Those two games would prove to (likely) be the final starts of his NFL career.

Brown did eventually return later in the year, but his only contributions came as an extra offensive lineman off the bench. The five-time Pro Bowler was little more than a sixth offensive lineman and extra in-line blocker.

Brown will turn 39 years old next August and is one of the longest-tenured players still in the NFL. It would be in the Jets' best interest to seek out a more reliable and durable answer at left tackle.

As far as Brown is concerned, his time in the NFL has likely come to an end. Then again, this is the same man who wore his arm in a sling and played through a torn rotator cuff to play for a last-place Jets team. Anything is possible.