Nick Mangold, the cornerstone of the New York Jets’ offensive line for more than a decade and one of the most decorated centers of his era, has died at the age of 41, less than two weeks after publicly revealing he was undergoing dialysis and in urgent need of a kidney transplant. The Jets announced on Sunday that Mangold died Saturday night from complications of kidney disease, closing a chapter on an 11-season career that combined rare durability with a down-to-earth persona that endeared him to teammates and fans alike.
The manner of Mangold’s final public appeal made the news of his death especially stark. Earlier this month he posted a letter to “My NY Jets community,” disclosing that a genetic defect first identified in 2006 had progressed into chronic kidney disease and that “after a rough summer” he had started dialysis while he searched for a living donor. He explained that no family member could donate and asked supporters of the Jets and Ohio State, where he was a collegiate star, to help find a donor with type O blood. “I always knew this day would come, but I thought I would have more time,” he wrote.
Tributes poured in across the NFL. Jets owner Woody Johnson called him “more than a legendary center,” describing Mangold as “the heartbeat of our offensive line for a decade” and praising his “wit, warmth, and unwavering loyalty” off the field. “Nick Mangold will forever be a Jet,” Johnson said. Former head coach Rex Ryan, who guided the Jets from 2009 to 2014, fought back tears on television as he recalled Mangold insisting on playing through pain in Ryan’s final game: “It’s brutal… He was awesome. And it’s just way too young.” Hall of Fame cornerback Darrelle Revis said he would “forever cherish our moments in the locker room.”
Mangold’s football résumé reads like a checklist for Canton. Drafted 29th overall in 2006 out of Ohio State, he started from Week 1 and, for five straight seasons, never missed a game. Across 11 years, he started 171 games including seven in the postseason, earned seven Pro Bowl selections and two first-team All-Pro nods, and anchored an offensive line that helped the Jets reach back-to-back AFC Championship games in 2009 and 2010. In 2022 he entered the Jets’ Ring of Honor, and just last week he advanced to the group of 52 Modern-Era players under consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026. He retired officially as a Jet in 2018 after signing a one-day contract with the team.