Jets trade idea reunites recent first-round pick with familiar face

The New York Jets' edge unit felt like they left a couple of bites at the apple last season in terms of its total output.

When you have two first-round picks rushing the quarterback, you expect a bit more than the 31st-least amount of sacks in the entire NFL, despite the lack of a threat on the interior of the defensive line.

Will McDonal IV led the team in sacks with eight, but four of those came in one game against Dillon Gabriel's Cleveland Browns. Jermaine Johnson II had three and a relatively lacking season, but you can give him a pass due to only being a year removed from his torn Achilles.

But with the Jets primed to take a new edge at No. 2 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, should they part ways with one of their current guys and accumulate more draft capital to build out the rest of the roster?

Jets trade idea ships Jermaine Johnson to Titans, reunites with Robert Saleh

In a trade idea first proposed by Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine, the Jets would ship their former first-round edge rusher, Johnson, to reunite with former head coach Robert Saleh on the Tennessee Titans.

In the hypothetical deal, the Jets would get back No. 66 in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, a pick that's at the front of the third round, and a future fifth-round pick.

Meanwhile, the Titans get a player with Pro Bowl upside when healthy, and someone who can help establish Saleh's culture in his first year coaching the Titans.

"A reunion with Saleh could be just what both parties need. Johnson is set to play on the club option year of his rookie contract, but doesn't have an extension yet. The Jets are still establishing their identity under Aaron Glenn. If they don't feel like signing him to an extension is worth the risk then flipping him for two picks might make sense."

Alex Ballentine

With all of the Jets' draft capital in the first two rounds, you almost forget that they don't have a third-round pick thanks to Joe Douglas' Haason Reddick trade two years ago.

While there were reports that New York could've gotten a second-round pick for Johnson's services at the deadline, this is still a solid return for a player coming off a down year.

With Johnson off the team, it could open up more playing time for a potential first-round edge rusher, such as Arvell Reese or David Bailey, and the Jets can use that third-round pick in the 2026 draft on a position of need, or use it to trade up for a player they covet later in the first round.