5 NY Jets veterans who may lose their job to younger players

1. Connor McGovern, C, NY Jets

The Jets re-signed Connor McGovern to a shockingly cheap one-year, $1.915 million contract just days before the 2023 NFL Draft. The move gave the Jets much-needed flexibility as it pertained to how they planned to approach the upcoming draft.

As it turns out, the Jets did still land their hopeful starting center of the future in second-round pick Joe Tippmann, but with McGovern in the mix, he's not going to be handed the starting job.

McGovern enters the summer as the team's starting center, although the Jets will be having an open competition for the job. Tippmann will have every opportunity to earn a starting role.

McGovern shouldn't be overlooked, though. The six-year NFL veteran has started 79 games over the last five years, 48 of which have come with the Jets. He's been a quality starter as well.

Following a shaky first season with the Jets, McGovern has put together consecutive starting-caliber campaigns. The 30-year-old lineman has ranked inside Pro Football Focus' top 10 centers in each of the last two seasons.

That said, the Jets clearly see Tippmann as their long-term starter. McGovern may begin the year as the team's starting center, but it likely won't be long before Tippmann takes over the starting job.

The Jets drafted Tippmann to be a cornerstone of their offensive line for the foreseeable future. Despite his quality play, McGovern is little more than a stopgap for the team at this stage.