NY Jets news: Jermaine Johnson injury update, Jets lose assistants, GM update

Jermaine Johnson injury update
Jets losing assistant coaches
Did the Jets hire a GM yet?

Justin Fried

Jermaine Johnson / Perry Knotts/GettyImages

As the NY Jets usher in a fresh era with a new coaching staff in 2025, one of the team's brightest young stars is making excellent progress in his return from an injury that cost him essentially all of 2024.

Jermaine Johnson shared an exciting update on his injury rehab on social media on Thursday. “18 weeks out and Achilles [tendon] symmetry is exact!! God is great!! We’re almost back and as explosive as ever!!!”, Johnson posted on X (formerly Twitter).

The 2022 first-round pick aimed to build on his breakout 2023 season, but a torn Achilles in Week 1 cut his year short. His absence proved to be a major blow to the Jets' defensive line.

The good news is that Johnson appears to be on track to return before the start of the 2025 season. It's unclear if he'll be ready for OTAs in the spring of training camp in the summer, but a Week 1 return is in sight for the Jets' Pro Bowl edge rusher.

Other NY Jets news:

Jets losing multiple assistant coaches

New Jets head coach Aaron Glenn will be tasked with putting together his first coaching staff over the coming days. That staff could include a couple of Jets holdovers, including cornerbacks coach Tony Oden and defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton, both of whom are reportedly in consideration.

The vast majority of Jets assistant coaches left from the previous regime will not be back, however. Some of those coaches have already landed jobs with new teams.

Jets running backs coach Tony Dews will fill the same position with the New England Patriots. Safeties coach Marquand Manuel has been hired by the New York Giants, where he will be the team's defensive backs coach.

Linebackers coach Mike Rutenberg will join Jeff Ulbrich, now the Falcons' defensive coordinator, in Atlanta. Longtime Jets special teams coordinator Brant Boyer interviewed with the 49ers and could join Robert Saleh in San Francisco. It will be a new-look coaching staff for the Jets in 2025.

What's going on with the Jets' GM situation?

NFL insider Josina Anderson reported on Friday that Denver Broncos assistant general manager Darren Mougey was expected to be named the Jets' next general manager. The assumption is that the deal will get done, but nothing is official yet.

The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt reported shortly after that the Jets had "not informed any GM finalist about whether they have or have not gotten the job yet." SNY's Connor Hughes confirmed that report, insisting that no deal has been reached at this time.

The expectation was that the Jets would come to a decision on Friday after the team finished its second round of interviews on Thursday. It's unclear what the potential hold-up could be.

Anderson, who has been highly reliable with reports during this hiring cycle, is the only source claiming Mougey will be the Jets' next GM at the time of writing. While it remains a possibility, nothing has been made official yet.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.