The Jets have released 40-year old QB Mark Brunell.  Brunell played in 2 games (0 starts) for the Jets last year and he completed 7 of 13 passes (53.8%) for 117 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT (92.0 QB Rating).  Brunell has now played in 177 games (151 starts) in his first 16 years in the NFL and he has completed 2,760 of 4,637 passes (59.5%) for 32,045 yards with 184 TD passes and 108 INTs (84.0 QB Rating).  Brunell has also carried the ball 513 times for 2,421 yards (4.7 ypc) with 15 TD runs in his NFL career.  Brunell is 78-73 (51.7%) as a starting QB in the NFL.  It will be interesting to see if the Jets try to bring Brunell back with a smaller contract or if they just let him go.

UPDATE:  (8/1/2011) – The Jets have re-signed Mark Brunell to a 1-year deal at a lower salary for the 2011 season.

The Jets have signed 29-year old punter Chris Bryan.  Bryan played in 4 games for the Buccaneers last season and he punted the ball 23 times for 860 yards (37.4 avg).  Bryan didn’t have any touchbacks and he pinned the opposition inside their own 20-yard line 7 times (30.4%).  Bryan is likely just going to be part of a competition for punter because if the Jets go with him, they could be in trouble.

UPDATE:  (8/31/2011) – The Jets have released Chris Bryan.

The Jets have re-signed 26-year old kicker Nick Folk to a 1-year deal.  Folk played in all 16 games for the Jets last year and he connected on 30 of 39 field goals and all 37 of his extra point attempts good for 127 points.  Folk has now played in 62 games in his first four years in the NFL and he has made 94 of 120 field goals (78.3%).  He has also made all 168 of his extra point attempts, good for 450 points.  Folk has no guarantees that he will be the kicker on opening day, so he will have to earn his job in training camp.

The Jets have re-signed 27-year old WR Santonio Holmes to a 5-year deal.  Holmes played in 12 games (10 starts) for the Jets last year and he caught 52 passes for 746 yards (14.3 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 17 yards (8.5 ypc) last year.  Holmes has now played in 72 games (58 starts) in his first five years in the NFL and he has caught 287 passes for 4,581 yards (16.0 avg) with 26 TD grabs.  Holmes has also carried the ball 13 times for 62 yards (4.8 ypc) in his NFL career.  This was a great move for the Jets as Holmes and QB Mark Sanchez seem to click well together.

33-year old starting right OT Damien Woody has decided to retire.  Woody played in 13 games (all starts) for the Jets last year.  He played in 45 games (all starts) in his three years with the Jets.  Wayne Hunter, who head coach Rex Ryan calls the best backup tackle in the NFL, will replace Woody in the starting lineup.  The Jets would have liked to keep Woody due to his versatility on the line but they have decided to spend the money he would have made elsewhere.

RB Freeman McNeil was a very solid running back for the New York Jets.  McNeil played in 144 games in his 12 years with the Jets and he carried the ball 1,798 times for 8,074 yards (4.5 ypc) with 38 TD runs.  He also caught 295 passes for 2,961 yards (10.0 avg) with 12 TD grabs for the Jets.  McNeil’s best season for the Jets came back during the strike shortened year of 1982.  McNeil played in 9 games (all starts) in 1982 for the Jets and he carried the ball 151 times for 786 yards (5.2 ypc) with 6 TD grabs.  He also caught 16 passes for 187 yards (11.7 avg) with 1 TD grab in 1982.  McNeil led the NFL in rushing in 1982.  He made it to 3 Pro Bowls and he rushed for over 1,000 yards in a season two times in his 12 years with the Jets.  McNeil is the Jets’ #2 rusher in team history with 8,074 yards and he is also #4 in rushing TDs with 38 in team history.  McNeil is also #14 in franchise history in receptions (295) and he is #15 in receiving yards with 2,961 of them.  Freeman McNeil is one of the most underrated players in Jets’ history.