Taken by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft with the 62nd overall pick, center Josh Myers had the unenviable task of replacing Corey Linsley, who earned First-Team All-Pro honors in his final season with the franchise before signing a five-year, $62.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers.
But while the Ohio State product was never able to genuinely fill the gap left by Linsley, he was at least reliable.
After appearing in just seven total games as a rookie due to a knee injury, Myers suited up in 53 of a possible 54 games (regular season and postseason combined) for Green Bay over the last three years.
Unfortunately for Green Bay, however, the production just wasn't there. After peaking in 2022 with a 60.4 overall PFF grade, which included a 74.3 pass-blocking grade, he regressed over the next two campaigns, earning a 54.7 mark in 2023 and a 54.6 grade in 2024.
As such, the Packers opted not to re-sign Myers this offseason, allowing him to hit free agency. And with Aaron Banks signing a four-year, $77 million contract, Elgton Jenkins will slide to the middle of the offensive line as Green Bay's new center.
As for Myers, signs pointed to him having a strong market, but the four-year veteran ultimately signed a one-year deal with the New York Jets for just $2 million in guaranteed money, with another $1 million in possible incentives.
That's not even enough to get the Packers a compensatory pick in the draft next year, by the way.
And in addition to Myers not getting nearly the money he likely thought he would, it now looks like he won't get the playing time he thought he might, either.
Josh Myers will reportedly not be the starting center for the New York Jets going into training camp
Not long after signing with the Jets, Myers spoke on how excited he was to be suiting up for Gang Green, even going so far as to say it was a "perfect fit," in part due to the fact that he'll be reuniting with former Ohio State teammate Justin Fields.
But here's the thing. With the Jets seemingly set in the middle with Joe Tippmann, who was the eighth-ranked center by PFF this past season, there was some talk of moving Myers to right guard, a position he's never played in the NFL.
But per The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt, the Jets will keep Alijah Vera-Tucker where he is at right guard and use Myers "to push Joe Tippmann."
So, after years of starting for a contending team, Myers will now serve as a backup for a franchise that hasn't made the postseason for a decade and a half.