Carl Lawson becomes latest Jets player unhappy with role: ‘I’m a football player, not a cheerleader’

The New York Jets have a couple of restless players on their roster who are unhappy with their current role on the team. Running back Dalvin Cook garnered most of the headlines when speaking about his diminished role within the backfield this week, but he wasn’t the only one. Pass rusher Carl Lawson also had expressed his frustrations after being a healthy scratch in two games this season and only playing in 24% of the defensive snaps entering Week 8.

“I definitely want to play and contribute,” he told reporters this week, via ESPN. “I know I can. I’ve proven that. Yeah, I always want to contribute, but right now I’m with the Jets, but I definitely want to play more. I definitely want to do what I did last year [seven sacks]. … I’m a football player, not a cheerleader.”

Lawson is in the final year of his three-year, $45 million contract he signed with New York back in the spring of 2021. He missed the entire first season with the Jets due to a torn Achilles he suffered during training camp that summer, but did rebound well last year totaling seven sacks and 24 quarterback hits while starting all 17 games. This year, however, is a rather dramatic decrease in playing time for Lawson after playing in nearly 60% of the defensive snaps a season ago.  

What makes his recent comments and current standing with the team even more fascinating is the looming NFL trade deadline that is set for Tuesday, Oct. 31 at 4 p.m. ET. With Lawson facing free agency this offseason and unhappy with his current role on the defense, that could open the door for the Jets to ship him off to another club that is in need of pass-rushing help and allow for the 28-year-old to have a more substantial role.

In 72 career regular-season games, Lawson has tallied 27 sacks, 117 tackles, and three forced fumbles with 107 quarterback hits.