San Francisco 49ers free-agent guard Laken Tomlinson intends to sign a three-year deal worth up to $41.2 million and including $27 million guaranteed with the New York Jets, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Jets also are re-signing wide receiver and All-Pro kick returner Braxton Berrios on a two-year, $12 million deal that includes $7 million fully guaranteed, agent Drew Rosenhaus told Schefter.
By joining New York, Tomlinson will be reunited with head coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, who were with the 49ers before joining the Jets last season.
Tomlinson is slated to start at right guard for the Jets — a new position for him. He has played left guard his entire career, but the Jets are comfortable with his ability to make the transition.
General manager Joe Douglas has devoted significant resources to the offensive line, using first-round picks on tackle Mekhi Becton (2020) and guard Alijah Vera-Tucker (2021) and giving out one of the richest guard contracts to Tomlinson.
Berrios, who turned 26 last October, hit free agency at the right time. He set career highs in receptions (46) and receiving yards (431) while becoming a special-teams star last season, receiving first-team All-Pro recognition as a kick returner.
Berrios led the NFL in kickoff return average (30.4), bolstered by a 102-yard return against the Jacksonville Jaguars. On that play, he registered the fastest speed (20.99 mph) on any kickoff returned for a touchdown in the league for 2021, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
He bolstered his value late in the season, scoring four touchdowns over his final three games — two rushing, one receiving and one return. Berrios, who also rushed for 40 yards on seven carries, became the first Jets wide receiver in franchise history to record multiple rushing touchdowns in a season.
Interestingly, Berrios wasn’t a full-time kickoff returner until last season. He was always known as a punt returner, but he established himself as a double threat. He would’ve finished second in punt return average (13.4), but he didn’t have enough attempts to qualify.
Tomlinson became Mr. Reliable for the 49ers after they traded for the former first-round pick in 2017, starting 80 consecutive regular-season games after moving into the lineup at left guard.
Considered a disappointment with the Detroit Lions, Tomlinson has barely even missed snaps in his time with the 49ers, only leaving a game because his shoe came off.
Tomlinson, 30, was a Pro Bowl alternate in 2021, coming up just short of landing his first Pro Bowl bid.
The Lions used the No. 28 pick in the 2015 NFL draft on Tomlinson, who played his college football at Duke.
Berrios, undersized at 5-foot-9, 190 pounds, lasted until the sixth round of the 2018 draft. He was selected by the New England Patriots, who put him on injured reserve that year and cut him the following preseason. The Jets claimed him on waivers.
In four seasons, Berrios has 89 catches for 940 yards (10.5 average) and five touchdowns.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini and Nick Wagoner contributed to this report.
Source: www.espn.com