Jermaine Johnson injury might force NY Jets to give in to Haason Reddick

Jermaine Johnson is hurt and it looks bad

Justin Fried

Jermaine Johnson / Brooke Sutton/GettyImages

NY Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson was carted off the field during Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans with what appears to be a serious injury. The immediate concern from the Jets is reportedly that it's an Achilles injury.

Johnson appeared to suffer a non-contact injury in the third quarter and was down on the field for minutes before being helped onto a cart. The Jets have already ruled Johnson out with an Achilles injury.

This, of course, will lead to conversations regarding star pass rusher Haason Reddick, who remains away from the team as he awaits a new contract. The Jets' defensive line has already been an issue for the team this year — they're in dire straits if Johnson is out long-term.

The Jets will rely on the likes of Will McDonald, Micheal Clemons, and others for the remainder of the game. As for the future? General manager Joe Douglas might be on the phone with Reddick sooner rather than later.

Jermaine Johnson injury update

Reddick's continued holdout has raised eyebrows around the NFL, given his apparent lack of leverage in the situation. No team is seemingly willing to trade for Reddick and give him the contract he's looking for, making his extended holdout all the more confusing.

Plans may have changed now, however. Johnson's injury leaves the Jets incredibly shorthanded at a position that is supposed to be the heartbeat of this team's defense.

A first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Johnson broke out in his second NFL season, recording 7.5 sacks and making his first career Pro Bowl. Now, he could be sidelined for the foreseeable future.

This is a potentially career-altering injury for a player who was supposed to be one of the building blocks of this Jets defense — a devastating blow to this organization.

Meanwhile, Reddick now has increased leverage in contract negotiations. This is an unfortunate situation for everyone involved, but Reddick might be an unlikely beneficiary.

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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.