FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The New York Jets aren’t just rebuilding; they are stripping the chassis down to the bolts. After shocking the NFL landscape by dealing All-Pros Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams at last year’s deadline, general manager Joe Douglas appears ready to move his last remaining blue-chip defensive asset: Jermaine Johnson.
Fresh reports from Bleacher Report and SNY indicate the Jets are actively shopping the former first-round pick, with the Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans emerging as front-runners to land the 27-year-old edge defender.
The “Sunk Cost” Dilemma
Johnson’s trajectory has been a rollercoaster. After a breakout Pro Bowl campaign in 2023, his career hit a wall. A torn Achilles wiped out his 2024 season, and his 2025 return was underwhelming, lacking the explosive bend that made him a terror off the edge two years ago.
For the Jets, this is a calculus of value. Johnson is entering the final year of his rookie deal (the fifth-year option), carrying a $13.4 million cap hit. With the roster already gutted and the franchise looking at a multi-year construction project, flipping Johnson for a Day 2 pick now makes more sense than paying him elite money in 2027.
Landing Spot: The Tennessee Reunion (Titans)
This is the connection that screams “narrative fit.” The Titans are officially the Cam Ward show, with the young quarterback showing flashes of brilliance in his rookie campaign. But the real hook here is on the sideline.
Robert Saleh is running the show in Nashville now. The former Jets head coach was the man who pounded the table to draft Johnson in 2022. Saleh knows exactly how to deploy Johnson’s skill set, and the Titans are desperate for a veteran presence to anchor a defense that needs to protect leads for Ward.
Landing Spot: The Philly “Buy Low” Special (Eagles)
Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman loves a distressed asset. The Eagles’ pass rush took a noticeable step back in 2025, lacking the rotation depth that fueled their previous Super Bowl runs. With questions swirling around their current edge group, snagging a 27-year-old former Pro Bowler for a potential third-round pick is the exact type of low-risk, high-reward swing Roseman executes in his sleep.
“I’d be lying if I said I was happy my brothers are gone… I’m sick. But I believe strongly in the organization… I wanted to be the reason this thing gets changed.”
— Jermaine Johnson (Reaction to 2025 Trade Deadline moves)
What’s Next: The Market Value
Don’t expect a first-round pick. The Achilles injury history and a quiet 2025 tape have dampened Johnson’s value. The likely return sits in the early 3rd to late 2nd-round range. For a Jets team that needs volume in the draft to fill holes at nearly every position, getting a top-75 pick for a player who likely won’t be on the roster in 2027 is a necessary, albeit painful, move.
