The New York Jets were seeking a second-round pick for pass rusher Jermaine Johnson ahead of the NFL trade deadline, according to NFL Insider Albert Breer.
Connor Hughes of SNY revealed on “Jets Final Drive” that they had a second-round pick offer from a team on the table. However, they declined the trade anyway.
“I know for a fact from talking to sources who have pursued these players and have had direct conversations with the Jets. So these are not Jets sources that are telling me this, these are sources who have had conversations with the Jets,” Hughes explained. “There is an offer on the table for Jermaine Johnson right now for a second-round pick. That is what a competing team for Jermaine Johnson has been told.”
“There was an offer out there for a second-round pick on Jermaine Johnson. The Jets wanted a little bit more; they were unable to negotiate that with a team, so no trade happened,” Hughes said.
Insider Reveals the Teams That Were Interested in Johnson
NFL Insider Jordan Schultz revealed that two of the teams that were hotly pursuing Johnson were the Chicago Bears and the San Francisco 49ers.
Hughes confirmed the 49ers’ interest, saying they had been “flirting” with Johnson ahead of the trade deadline.
That potential trade would have reunited him with his old head coach, Robert Saleh, who is now the defensive coordinator in San Francisco.
Johnson Never Wanted to Leave Despite the Rumors
“Jermaine didn’t want to leave. He didn’t, he wants to stay with the Jets, he wants to be here, he wants to re-sign here, he doesn’t want to leave the Jets,” Hughes passionately explained on “Jets Final Drive.”
Johnson is under team control through the 2026 season. The Jets picked up the fifth-year team option on his contract this past offseason.
“I’d be lying if I said I was happy my brothers are gone because I’m not, I’m sick. But I believe strongly in the organization, staff, and my other brothers in the locker room. I said when I got drafted, I wanted to be the reason or part of the reason this thing gets changed for the better, and that’s going to continue to be my outlook. I love this team and this fan base, and y’all will continue to get my all, my absolute best on and off the field. Let’s look onward and upward because better things are coming, and I give my word on that. Go Jets always💚,” Johnson posted on social media post-trade deadline.
Time for the Jets to Build Around Johnson
I’m not sure how the logistics of this work on an NFL football team, but the Jets need to make Johnson a team captain.
Before the season, the team voted on its six captains for the year. Johnson wasn’t one of them, but the team just jettisoned one of those leaders in Quinnen Williams.
Johnson may not have donned the ‘C’ on his jersey, but he held the responsibility of leading this team on and off the field.
This is exactly the type of player you want to build your team around. He is a tone setter, a culture guy, and has an elite mentality that is infectious to his teammates.
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