Jamien Sherwood wants to re-sign with the NY Jets this offseason

The NY Jets are expected to undergo a period of significant roster turnover this offseason, as should be the case with a four-win team. However, one player the Jets might look to keep around is linebacker Jamien Sherwood.

Sherwood stepped into a full-time starting role in 2024 following an injury to C.J. Mosley, and the former fifth-round pick has gone on to quietly establish himself as one of the Jets' best defensive players this season.

But with Sherwood set to hit free agency this offseason, there's no guarantee the Jets will bring him back, especially with a new regime taking over. If it's up to the player, however, he'd love to re-sign with the team that drafted him.

Sherwood spoke with Jake Asman on ESPN's DiPietro & Rothenberg this week and insisted that his preference would be to re-sign with the Jets this offseason. The former Auburn standout added that he can "only control what he can control," but it sure sounds like he wants to be back in 2025.

NY Jets should make re-signing Jamien Sherwood a priority

A fifth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Sherwood converted from safety to linebacker in the NFL and took a few years to find his footing. A torn Achilles suffered in his rookie season did his development no favors, but he rebounded and became an important piece of the Jets' special-teams unit.

It wasn't until 2023 that he started to see regular snaps on defense again as the Jets' third linebacker. Sherwood showed promise that season and looked like a player who could eventually develop into a starter for the team.

That's exactly what happened in 2024 when he was thrust into the starting lineup following Mosley's injury. In 16 games this season, Sherwood leads the Jets with 152 tackles (leads the NFL with 95 solo tackles) and has racked up 10 tackles for loss and two sacks.

Sherwood's 74.5 Pro Football Focus grade ranks eighth among 55 qualified linebackers, notably ahead of fellow Jets position-mate Quincy Williams. He's been rock-solid in every aspect of the game.

Sherwood ranks third in the league with 57 run stops and above-average in both PFF coverage grade and missed-tackle rate. On a defense that has regressed significantly in 2024, Sherwood is one of the few ascending players.

This is exactly the type of player teams should look to keep around. Still just 24 years old (he turns 25 this month), Sherwood has developed into one of the better young linebackers in the NFL and has shown significant growth year over year. There's every reason to believe his best football is still ahead of him.

Given his lone year of starting experience and the Jets' overall defensive struggles, the team should be able to re-sign him at a relatively affordable rate. He'll probably receive a deal similar to the one Quincy Williams signed a couple of offseasons ago, just before his All-Pro breakout season.

If the Jets are lucky, Sherwood might experience a similar breakout year in 2025. It's taken him a few years to adjust to a new position at the NFL level, but Sherwood has quietly become an excellent all-around linebacker.

The Jets should make it a priority to re-sign him in the offseason, and by the looks of things, the feeling is mutual.

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