Jets begin their defensive overhaul with painful Jermaine Johnson trade

So long, Jermaine.

Charlie Baduini

New York Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson / John Jones-Imagn Images

The New York Jets are shipping out edge Jermaine Johnson to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.

Johnson reunites with the head coach who was in the building when he was drafted, Robert Saleh, in Tennessee, as he looks to establish his new culture with the Titans.

The Jets, on the other hand, get themselves a high-end defensive tackle, a piece they desperately needed after shipping out Quinnen Williams at last year's deadline.

Jets trade Jermaine Johnson to Titans for T'Vondre Sweat

The deal is a one-for-one swap, with no draft capital involved. Each team gets a player that they covet.

Johnson enters the 2026 season in the final year of his rookie contract on the fifth-year option, counting for $13.4 million against the cap. The Jets can get out from under that and inherit Sweat's rookie deal, where he counts for $1.7 million against the cap in 2026 and is under contract through next season.

This deal is going to sting for Jets fans. Johnson was a popular player and well-liked within the locker room. Selling low on a Pro Bowl-caliber player just one year removed from an Achilles tear is typically not good for business.

But the fact of the matter is, the Jets didn't get enough out of their edge rushers last season. They finished 31st in the league in total sacks with 26, and Johnson, along with Will McDonald IV, left a lot to be desired.

Sweat provides a massive boost to the Jets' interior defensive front and will be a key component in overhauling New York's awful run defense. They gave up an average of 139.5 rushing yards per game in 2025, good for fourth-worst in the league.

The trade does create a massive hole at edge for New York. If it wasn't already obvious, they will target one of Ohio State's Arvell Reese, Texas Tech's David Bailey, or Miami's Rueben Bain Jr. with the No. 2 overall pick. The Jets' braintrust has virtually no choice now.

At the end of the day, this trade likely isn't going to be popular with most fans. But if you take a step back and look at the big picture, it will hopefully be the start of a defensive overhaul that contributes to a Jets turnaround in 2026.

Charlie Baduini

Charlie Baduini covers the New York Jets as a site expert for The Jet Press and FanSided. He is a sports journalist based in Northern New Jersey with a wide variety of sports reporting experience in print and broadcast journalism. Baduini’s byline can also be seen on Heavy and The Sporting News, where he covers several teams across the NFL and NBA. His work has been featured in Heavy, Athlon Sports, The Sporting News, Yahoo Sports, MSN, and Yardbarker. He also serves as a seasonal intern for ESPN, working as a production assistant for the Heisman Trophy Ceremony every year since 2022. Baduini has been a Jets fan for as long as he can remember, with his family's fandom dating back to the 1960s when his grandfather, Louis, became a season ticket holder. His family has since held on to the tickets to this day. He is an avid fan of the New York Knicks and New York Mets.