The New York Jets have released offensive lineman Greg Van Roten, freeing up $3.5 million worth of cap space for the 2022 NFL season.
The former Toronto Argonaut had been with the team since 2020. He played in all 17 games last season, making 10 starts at guard.
Van Roten’s first NFL contract was with the Green Bay Packers, where he played 10 games during the 2012 and 2013 seasons. The six-foot-three, 308-pounder spent 2014 training camp with the Seattle Seahawks, before eventually signing with Toronto ahead of the 2015 season.
The 32-year-old spent two seasons with the double blue, playing in 32 CFL games at tackle, guard and centre. He signed with Jacksonville Jaguars following the 2016 season, but was released before training camp and eventually landed with the Carolina Panthers.
During his first season with the Panthers, Van Roten played in 10 games on special teams and served as a backup centre and guard. In January 2018, the Rockville Centre, New York native put pen to paper on a two-year contract extension. He earned a starting job, playing all 16 regular season games at left guard for Carolina that season — the only player to take every offensive snap for the Panthers.
Following 11 starts and a dislocated toe injury which ended his 2019 season, Van Roten was coveted by multiple NFL teams during free agency. He inked a three-year $10.5 million deal with his hometown Jets and started all 13 games he played in 2020.
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Van Roten was a two-time All-Ivy League selection as a member of the Quakers before going unselected in the 2012 NFL Draft.
