Nick Mangold Press Conference

Courtesy NY Jets PR Department

On if the contract extension is official…

It is official, yes. Signed, sealed and delivered.

On how it feels to have received an extension…

Fantastic. I could not be more excited to have that done, to be here as long as I can imagine. It kind of came out of the blue when things started, and now that it’s done, I’m very excited.

On when extension talks really picked up…

About two weeks or so, something like that. Woody [Johnson] and Mike [Tannenbaum] sat me down and said, “Hey, we’d like to get something done with you and we hope that we can get it done.” And “hope” worked out.

On if Johnson and Tannenbaum approached him…

Yeah.

On if not holding out benefitted him in getting his extension done…

You’re going to have to ask them. I don’t know if that was in their thought process. I don’t know what their thoughts were. I just know I didn’t come to camp thinking if I did one thing or if I’d do something, it’s going to end up working for me getting a contract or it’s not going to. It was more of a football decision for the guys on this team.

On when he signed…

Thirty seconds ago, I think, I finished, or however long it takes to walk down here from there.

On the range of emotions he has felt during the summer…

I had resigned myself to the fact that it wasn’t getting done come the end of camp, and now that it is done, I haven’t really wrapped my head around it yet, but I’m very excited that it is.

On being held out of team drills at practice today…

As close as it was, I’d shoot myself if something happened. I’ve never gone through it before. I’ve never gone through a situation of having a contract right there, ready to be signed. I didn’t really know and kind of just wanted to play it safe as best I could. I still got good work in during the individual and just kind of skipped out on the team stuff.

On when Coach Ryan said he was going to hold him out…

Right before practice, we talked together. I don’t know if he came to me or I went to him or however it went. It’s kind of been a blur the past 24 hours.

On if his teammates knew about the extension…

They kind of had a good assumption, seeing all the media reports.

On if his teammates knew about him sitting out practice today…

I didn’t know until we started walkthroughs. It kind of came as a surprise to some people. I’m sure Rob [Turner] didn’t appreciate it.

On if this is a major deal…

[Joking] Major deal? I figure this is a major deal in the life of Mangold. I’m excited. I would call it a major deal.

On describing his head injury that kept him out of the Giants game…

I think banged would be a better [description].

On if his head injury reminded him of the injury factor as he was going through negotiations…

No, not really. It was one of those things. You get bumps and bruises as you go along. I never really put both of those on the same page.

On if his dreams have come true…

It is very exciting, yes. It’s a dream that kids have as they grow up, being able to play in the NFL and being able to do it at a high level. I’m appreciative of everyone who’s helped me along the way. It’s exciting and I look forward to seeing where we can go with it, now that I’ll be here for quite some time.

On if he has any ideas on how to get Darrelle Revis back to camp…

[Laughs] That’s on other people. I’m not getting involved in that one.

On if it was important to him to become the highest-paid center in football…

No, not particularly. It wasn’t a sticking point and I’m very fortunate that the Jets decided to go that route. I’m very appreciative and excited to have that. I’m sure some young gun will come along next year and blow me out of the water anyway.

On if he’s relieved to have the extension done…

It’s fantastic not to have to even think about it. You just go along with the way that I’ve been able to go on for the past four years. It’s something I never had to think of before and glad I don’t have to think about it any more.

On if the extension is more than he hoped for…

Yeah, you know, it is. To be able to say “highest-paid center” is very nice to hear and it worked out well for both sides. I’m excited to sign.

On how sudden this extension is to him…

Like I said earlier, I haven’t really wrapped my head around it. It came out of nowhere, went by really fast and here we are. I think it will take a couple of days to sink in and realize what’s been going on.

On if he has any plans to celebrate…

Nothing in particular. I have to be here at 8 tomorrow, so it can’t be anything too crazy. I’m sure wherever it will be, a smile will be on my face.

On if he has reached out to Revis…

No. I haven’t talked to him in a while. It’s not my place to talk to him or give him advice or anything like that. He’s making decisions for himself, and as a player, you respect what he has to do and what he thinks is best. It’s not my place to comment on anything he has going on or to get involved.

On if he plans on calling former teammate Alan Faneca…

I might give him a call. What are they, three hours behind? Actually, I might call him tomorrow morning. Is it only two? Then I’ll call him tomorrow morning, wake him up. I’m sure he’ll enjoy that.

On if he’s looking at this as the last contract he will sign…

At this point, I’m not even thinking about it. I’ll worry about that when the time comes, but I figure I’ll be around 32 at that point. We’ll see where it takes me at that point, but that’s awfully far off in the distance to even be thinking about it.