The latest news out of the Detroit Lions’ camp might hint at how the New York Jets proceed with Jamien Sherwood’s free agency.
The Lions have agreed to a contract extension with their 25-year-old linebacker Derrick Barnes, as reported by NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport on Friday.
“The #Lions have agreed to a 3-year $25.5M extension for Derrick Barnes, a key part of their defense,” Rapoport wrote. “$16M of the deal is fully guaranteed on signing.”
Once the news on Barnes broke, ESPN’s Rich Cimini was quick to point out that a Jets linebacker target was now off the board.
“Barnes was going to be a target for the Jets,” Cimini wrote. “The numbers provide some insight into what Jamien Sherwood might get.”
What are the Jets going to do with Sherwood? The former fifth-round pick out of Auburn has produced comparably to Barnes since entering the league, so he’s going to demand a similar deal. Like Barnes, Sherwood is 25 years old.
New York would be wise to bring back Sherwood and get a deal done as soon as possible, especially with Barnes now scooped up.
Yes, the Jets are turning over a new leaf under new head coach Aaron Glenn, but it’s still in their best interest to retain the young talent on the roster. Beyond the obvious players like Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner that fit into that category, Sherwood is a guy that New York has no reason not to invest in moving forward.
Now that the Barnes deal has established a clear-cut framework for a Sherwood deal, we should know soon whether the Jets are going to pay Sherwood or otherwise decide to move on and bring in someone cheaper.
