Jermaine Johnson traded to Titans in player-for-player swap
New York sent pass rusher jermaine johnson to Tennessee in a rare player-for-player trade Thursday, acquiring defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat in return. The deal cannot be processed until the start of the league year on March 11.
Trade mechanics and timing
The Jets and Titans agreed to the trade Thursday, but the move will only become official when the new league year opens on March 11. The Titans sent a 2024 second-round pick—drafted 38th overall and described elsewhere as the sixth overall pick of the second round in 2024—in exchange for Johnson.
Jets add T'Vondre Sweat
In Sweat, New York is acquiring a 6-foot-2, 366-pound interior presence on a team-friendly contract. Sweat was a second-round pick in 2024, is signed through 2027 and will count only $1. 7 million on the Jets' salary cap. He posted 85 tackles and three sacks in 29 games for Tennessee and suffered an ankle injury in Tennessee's season-opening loss to the Broncos, missing five games last season.
Jermaine Johnson and Robert Saleh
The move reunites Johnson with coach Robert Saleh, who coached the Jets when they selected Johnson with the 26th overall pick in the 2022 draft. Johnson also will again work under Titans defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton, who was his position coach with the Jets for his first three seasons.
Johnson's recent form and contract
Johnson comes off what has been called a down year, finishing with three sacks. He has one year remaining on his contract and is due to make a guaranteed $13. 4 million in 2026 under his fifth-year option. The Titans are counting on him regaining his 2023 form, when he posted a career-high 7. 5 sacks and was named to the Pro Bowl as an injury replacement.
Injury history and 2025 season
Johnson's 2024 season ended in Week 2 at Tennessee when he tore an Achilles tendon and missed the remainder of that season. He rehabbed to make it back for the start of the 2025 season, but he did not have the same burst as before the injury. In 14 games in 2025 he finished with three sacks and six quarterback hits, later admitting his performance "wasn't up to his standard. " Both he and the team acknowledged that the Achilles injury probably affected his performance.
Career totals and deadline interest
In four seasons and 47 games with the Jets, Johnson recorded 13 sacks and 131 tackles. He generated interest before last season's trade deadline, but New York opted to keep him for the remainder of the season. That earlier interest included a deadline offer from San Francisco of a third-round pick; the Jets wanted a second-round pick, and the San Francisco third-rounder would have been at the tail end of the round, a factor in the decision not to make that trade.
Roster implications and draft talk
Johnson's departure is the latest move in a protracted teardown of a once-formidable Jets defense. New York also traded away defensive stars Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams in November; both are former first-round draft picks. Eight of the Jets' 11 first-round picks from 2015 to 2022 have been traded. The move reinforces the belief that the Jets will take an edge player with the No. 2 pick in this year's draft, with Ohio State's Arvell Reese and Texas Tech's David Bailey listed as the leading candidates.
Johnson acknowledged the trade in a social media post later Thursday, saying New York "will always hold a special place in my heart. " He thanked New York and wrote that the love he had been shown over the past 4-5 years "has been nothing short of amazing, both on and off the field, " and he wished his former coaches and teammates the best.
Scheme considerations factored into the swap: the Jets, who could be using more 3-4 fronts, wanted to add size up front, while Tennessee's scheme puts a premium on smaller, faster linemen. Sweat's size and contract fit New York's stated needs, while the Titans are betting Johnson can return to his disruptive 2023 form. The trade will become official when the league year begins on March 11.
Unclear in the provided context: any additional financial details beyond the guaranteed $13. 4 million in 2026 and Sweat's $1. 7 million cap charge, plus any immediate roster moves the teams will make after the trade is processed.
