The New York Jets have moved on from star guard Laken Tomlinson, as the AFC East division franchise made the decision to release him in order to create more space in the team's salary cap, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

“The #Jets are releasing guard Laken Tomlinson, per source. Move saves around $8.1M on the cap. Incredibly durable player has started 114 straight games.”

Tomlinson played for two seasons with the Jets from 2022 to 2023, during which he appeared in all available 34 games and totaled 2,213 offensive snaps and 122 special teams snaps. Before becoming part of the Jets, Tomlinson spent three seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, earning a Pro Bowl nod in his final campaign with the NFC West squad in 2021. He then signed a three-year, $40 million contract with the Jets.

With Tomlinson gone, the Jets will likely have to find a replacement or a depth piece to add to their pass-protection unit. In the 2023 season, the Jets were just 29th overall in the league with a 9.62 percent offensive sack rate and also 28th with 3.8 sacks allowed per contest. The move to split ways with Tomlinson can also be interpreted as a sign of what the Jets' plan is with their No. 10 pick at the 2024 NFL Draft.

With Aaron Rodgers expected to start for the Jets in 2024 after a season that was brutally derailed by a Week 1 injury in 2023, the Jets need to parade the best offensive line they can to protect the future Hall of Famer quarterback in the pocket.