Jermaine Johnson's heartfelt message proves he's everything the Jets need

The 2025 NFL trade deadline has come and gone, and it was a wild one for the New York Jets. Tuesday afternoon saw the Jets deal two franchise cornerstones in Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams.

In return, the Jets received four draft picks, including three first-round selections. Darren Mougey also netted Adonai Mitchell in the Sauce Gardner deal and Mazi Smith in the Quinnen Williams deal.

It was also a day full of other trade rumors surrounding the Jets, which included star defensive end Jermaine Johnson. Despite Johnson continuing to pop up in trade rumors and the aftermath of the moves made yesterday, the pass rusher made it clear again that he wants to remain a New York Jet.

Through all of the losses this year and in previous seasons, Johnson has remained one of the few positive constants on and off the field.

Jermaine Johnson needs to be a part of the Jets turnaround

The Jets reportedly received calls on Jermaine Johnson, with the strongest attempts of prying him away from the Jets coming from the 49ers and Bears. New York also reportedly received as high as a second-round pick for Johnson, but ultimately decided to keep him.

It is the right decision to keep Jermaine Johnson, and that is even clearer when he has made it known he wants to be a part of the solution with the Jets and see this new regime's plan through.

Since getting drafted in 2022 out of Florida State, Johnson's impact on the field has been massive. His ability to get home to the quarterback and stop the run is a huge plus for a defense that has seen struggles in both areas.

The 26-year-old's best season so far came in 2023 when he logged 7.5 sacks, 56 pressures, and 31 run stops. Unfortunately for Johnson, a torn Achilles tendon in Week 2 of last season and an ankle injury in Week 2 of this season have seen him miss significant time.

Despite this, though, the Florida State product's impact has still been felt this year, even though he has only played five games. Johnson has tallied one sack, 14 pressures, and eight run stops so far in 2025.

It's also no coincidence that when Johnson returned from the ankle injury that saw him miss three games, the Jets turned in their two best defensive performances in back-to-back weeks against the Broncos and Panthers.

Even through all the rumors and trade discussions around him, Johnson's loyalty towards being a long-term solution with this team hasn't changed.

When looking at what the Jets need and what they are trying to build with this upcoming rebuild under Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn, Jermaine Johnson checks all the boxes. Perhaps a long-term extension could be the next step.