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Coming off the best season of his career, defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw has cashed in with a deal from the New York Jets.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Kinlaw has agreed to a one-year contract with the Jets.
Kinlaw was a first-round draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2020. He showed a lot of promise as a rookie with four quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks in 14 games playing on the interior of the defensive line.
Injuries derailed the next two years of Kinlaw’s career. He had knee problems in 2021 that limited him to four games before he had ACL reconstruction surgery.
After playing in the first three games of the 2022 season, Kinlaw was held out of the next two games before being placed on injured reserve. He started each of the 49ers’ final six games of the season, including all three playoff games.
The 49ers declined the fifth-year option on Kinlaw’s rookie deal that would have guaranteed him around $10.5 million in 2024.
Kinlaw prepared his body differently for the 2023 season to help him make it through the long grind of an NFL schedule. He changed his diet and added exercises to improve his body mechanics.
The approach paid off with Kinlaw appearing in all 20 games, including the playoffs. He set career-highs in quarterback hits (six), tackles for loss (four) and sacks (3.5) during the regular season.
While there are plenty of reasons to be concerned about Kinlaw’s durability, his performance last season does offer hope for what he can do in the future. He’s only 26 years old and has first-round draft pedigree.
The Jets are banking on Kinlaw being able to continue doing what he did for the 49ers in 2023, while possibly adding new wrinkles to his game to become even better as he enters his prime years.
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