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EspañolNEW YORK — Another member of the Jets’ 2022 draft class has been traded.
The Jets are trading pass rusher Jermaine Johnson to the Titans in exchange for defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat, sources told the New York Daily News. NFL Network was first to report the trade.
The deal cannot be processed until the start of the new league year on March 11.
“New York, thank you for everything, truly,” Johnson posted on X. “The love I’ve been shown here for the past 4-5 years has been nothing short of amazing, both on and off the field. Y’all will always hold a special place in my heart. Wish all of my former coaches and former teammates the best!! Thank all.”
This continues the destruction of a once-Jets top-five defense from 2022-24. At the trade deadline in November, the Jets traded both Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams for draft assets.
Johnson, 27, will reunite with former Jets coach Robert Saleh, who became the Titans' coach last month. Saleh and former Jets general manager Joe Douglas traded back into the first round in 2022 to select Johnson 26th overall.
Gang Green also selected Gardner and Garrett Wilson in the first round. But only Wilson remains on the team.
When the Jets drafted Johnson, they expected him to become a dominant pass rusher, but that never consistently materialized. He recorded just 2.5 sacks as a rookie. Johnson was selected to the Pro Bowl after finishing with 7.5 sacks in 2023.
However, Johnson has not looked the same player in recent years. Two games into the 2024 season, Johnson tore his Achilles on the road against the Titans and missed the rest of that season.
Johnson played in 14 games last season for the Jets. But he finished with 43 tackles and just three sacks after missing three games due to an ankle injury.
With the Jets likely changing their scheme with coach Aaron Glenn now the defensive play-caller, it makes sense they moved on from Johnson. Last season, the Jets primarily used a 4-3 defensive set. But in 2026, with Glenn calling the plays and Brian Duker now the defensive coordinator, they are expected to have more 3-4 formations, which is likely why Johnson was moved.
Also, Johnson is in the final year of his rookie contract after the Jets exercised his fifth-year option last spring. The Jets will save Johnson’s $13.4 million this season.
Johnson was dangled at the trade deadline after generating interest. But the Jets decided to retain him for the rest of the season.
After this trade, the Jets could look to add an edge rusher with the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft. With the Raiders likely drafting Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the top pick, the Jets will have their pick of Ohio State’s Arvell Reese, Texas Tech’s David Bailey or Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr.
Gang Green loses a pass rusher in Johnson, but gains a massive interior presence in Sweat. He was drafted in the second round by the Titans in 2024 after he was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and an unanimous All-American at Texas.
Sweat had 85 career tackles and three sacks in 29 games for Tennessee. He suffered a significant ankle injury in the Titans’ season opener against the Broncos last September. Sweat re-injured the ankle and didn’t play again until Week 7 against the Patriots.
With the Jets expected to play more 3-4 fronts, Sweat could help the Jets defense, which finished 29th in rushing yards allowed per game last season (139.5).
Sweat is under contract through the 2027 season and will only count $1.7 million against the Jets’ salary cap.