The New York Jets will have plenty of opportunities to make trades this spring and summer. But they have to be careful about who they’re trading with.
Coming off a 5-12 season, the Jets are experiencing as much organizational turnover as any other team in the NFL. New coach, new general manager, new quarterback; everything will have a different look in 2025.
As they continue to search for the right mix, the Jets could be tempted to trade a player whose career hasn’t quite panned out yet in New York. But shipping him to a team that figures out how to unlock his full potential could prove catastrophic.
Linebacker Jermaine Johnson was one of three Jets first-round picks in 2022, alongside Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson. While the other two instantly became superstars, Johnson has been up and down, with a surprise Pro Bowl appearance in 2023 followed by an injury that cost him 15 games in 2024.
Recently, Joe Giglio, a sports radio host on 94 WIP in Philadelphia, proposed that the Philadelphia Eagles could acquire Johnson this spring in a somewhat surprising trade, with the ex-Jets first-rounder headed to free agency after the 2025 campaign.
“The Eagles originally had two picks in the 2022 first round (one was traded for A.J. Brown), which means (general manager Howie) Roseman and the scouting department did a ton of work on that class. It’s shown lately,” Giglio wrote.
“Jordan Davis (drafted No. 13 overall), Kenyon Green (No. 15), Jahan Dotson (No. 16) and Kenny Pickett (No. 20) are either here or have been here in an Eagles uniform. Let’s add Johnson II (No. 26) to the mix. The Florida State product has had an up-and-down tenure with the Jets and the defensive coach that drafted him (Robert Saleh) is no longer in the building.”
Johnson had 7.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and an interception touchdown during his 2023 Pro Bowl campaign. If the Jets can rediscover that version of him after a year off, he’ll be better served sticking around and possibly earning a long-term extension.
One has to be extremely careful about trading with the Eagles, the defending Super Bowl champions. Roseman has made more than one team look foolish in the past, and the Jets shouldn’t be one of those teams here.
