According to multiple reports, New York Jets veteran offensive guard Alex Lewis is ending his professional football career. Lewis, who turned 29 in April, made this decision after being placed on the exempt/left squad list following a head injury he suffered during training camp.
Lewis landing on the exempt/left squad list meant he couldn’t sign with any other team in 2021, even if he was released. He could have, however, returned to the Jets.
The head injury might not be the only reason why Lewis opted to step away from football. Jets head coach Robert Saleh previously indicated that the player is also dealing with some personal issues.
“He’s going through some things which are much greater than football right now,” Saleh told reporters earlier this month. “We’re just giving him a chance to kind of sort through it all.”
Lewis previously missed the team’s voluntary workouts, being unhappy with the Jets’ decision to draft USC’s Alijah Vera-Tucker as his replacement. Despite this, he agreed to rework his deal and take a significant pay cut for 2021.
Alex Lewis joined the Jets in 2019 after spending the first three years of his career with the Baltimore Ravens. He started 12 games in his first season in New York and ended up being rewarded with a three-year, $18.6 million contract extension during the 2020 offseason.
Lewis started nine games last season but ended his season early after reportedly being forced to get medical help for a non-football condition. He also clashed with teammates and coaching staff several times in the process, being unhappy with the Jets’ poor results on the field.
