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Rich Cimini
multiple authors
jet And titans A rare player-to-player trade was agreed to on Thursday, in which New York sent pass rusher Jermaine Johnson Tennessee for defensive tackle t’vondre sweatSources tell ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Trades cannot be processed until the start of the league year on March 11.
The deal marks the latest step in a long-running dismantling of a once-formidable defense for the Jets, who also traded defensive stars Sauce Gardner And quinnan williams – both former first-round draft picks – in November.
Eight of the Jets’ 11 first-round picks from 2015 to 2022 have been traded.
Johnson acknowledged the trade in a social media post later Thursday, saying New York “will always hold a special place in my heart.”
New York, really thank you for everything. The love I have been shown here over the last 4-5 years has been nothing short of amazing, both on and off the field. You all will always hold a special place in my heart. Best wishes to all my former coaches and former teammates!! Thanks everyone…
– Jermaine Johnson II (@ii_jermaine) 26 February 2026
Johnson will be reunited with Titans coach Robert Saleh, who coached the Jets when they selected Johnson with the 26th overall selection in the 2022 draft.
Johnson will once again play under new Titans defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton, who was his position coach his first three seasons with the Jets.
Johnson, coming off a down year (three sacks), has only one year left on his contract and is due to be guaranteed $13.4 million in 2026, the amount of his fifth-year option.
Johnson generated interest before the trade deadline last season, but the Jets opted to retain him for the remainder of the season. His departure reinforces the belief that the Jets will select a leading player with the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft, with Ohio State’s Arvel Reese and Texas Tech’s David Bailey being the leading candidates.
In Sweat, the Jets are getting the 6-foot-2, 366-pound interior tackle on a team-friendly contract. A second-round pick in 2024, he is signed through 2027 and will count just $1.7 million against the Jets’ salary cap.
The plan involved a trade by both teams. The Jets, who could use more 3-4 fronts, wanted to add more size up front. The opposite is true for Tennessee, where Saleh’s scheme puts a premium on smaller, faster linemen.
Sweat, drafted 38th overall in 2024, posted 85 tackles and three sacks in 29 games for the Titans. He suffered an ankle injury in the season-opening loss to Tennessee. broncos And missed five games last season.
The Titans are hoping Johnson will recapture his form from 2023, when he posted a career-high 7.5 sacks and was named to the Pro Bowl as an injury replacement. Their 2024 season didn’t last long. In Week 2, at Tennessee, he ruptured his Achilles tendon and missed the remainder of the season.
Johnson rehabbed to return for the start of the 2025 season, but hasn’t had the explosiveness he had before the injury. In 14 games, he finished with only three sacks and six quarterback hits, later admitting that his performance was not up to his standard. Both he and the team acknowledged that the Achilles injury likely affected his performance.
In four seasons – 47 games – with the Jets, Johnson has 13 sacks and 131 tackles.
ESPN’s Turron Davenport contributed to this report.
