New York Jets Pro Bowl center Nick Mangold knows that the earlier he'll receive a new contract is after the 2010 season.

"I'm not happy about it, but I accepted that fact," Mangold told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.

Mangold is scheduled to earn $3.3 million in 2010, the final year of the rookie contract he signed after being chosen with the 29th overall pick of the 2006 NFL Draft. Mangold considered a training camp holdout, but with the release of veteran Alan Faneca, quickly decided to show up for camp to help Faneca's replacement--either Matt Slauson or 2010 second-round pick Vladimir Ducasse--adjust to the NFL.

"When those two guys are battling, they need all the help they can get," Mangold said. "As a team, we're only as good as our weakest link. There's no reason we should have a weak link at offensive line."