The New York Jets will have a lot of holes on their roster to fill in 2025 including some that are not obvious at the moment (QB, anyone?). Some positions we expect the Jets to address in the draft, while others are likely earmarked for free agency. Still others may have in-house options.
One position the Jets have not had to worry about for the last few seasons was middle linebacker. C.J. Mosley was the captain of the defense the last few seasons and when he went out last season with neck and toe injuries, the Jets found a budding star in linebacker Jamien Sherwood. Sherwood led the league in solo tackle for the Jets and led the defense to a third best yards/game in the NFL ranking.
The big problem for the Jets, is the 25-year-old is due to hit free agency this offseason and he certainly caught the eyes of more teams around the league.
In his latest piece for ESPN, Bill Barnwell thinks the Jets will have competition for Sherwood’s services from an old friend.
New 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who was fired by the Jets last October, might try to bring over one of his former players to San Francisco to replace Greenlaw. Sherwood filled in for Mosley, who missed most of the season with toe and neck injuries, and led the league with 98 solo tackles. Sherwood wasn't great in coverage, but he had the fourth-highest tackle share of any player. -Bill Barnwell, ESPN Writer
There is mutual interest from team and Sherwood to get a deal done, possibly even ahead of free agency, but if he does hit the market, Robert Saleh won’t be the only former coach that comes calling at Sherwood’s door.
Former Jets defensive coordinator and interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich will likely covet Sherwood’s services down South where he is now the defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons. The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks are also likely to come calling if Sherwood decides to test the market. With Jets’ ownership being what it is, I can’t imagine that he is willing to give the team a home-town discount.
The feeling is that Sherwood will command something in the range of a three-year deal worth $8-10 million per season.
Meanwhile, veteran C.J. Mosley might retire or could possibly be released. Last offseason, Mosley agreed to a brief extension that keeps him under club control through 2025. By signing that deal, Mosley agreed to a pay cut in exchange for additional guarantees, though just over half of his $8.25MM salary for 2025 is guaranteed. In order to minimize Mosley’s cap hit in 2024, when the Jets were fully expecting to contend, the club tacked on three void years, which means that it will be taking on $16.4MM in dead money if it follows through with a 2025 release.
Nonetheless, New York could still save money against the cap by designating Mosley a post-June 1 cut and spreading the dead money tab over two years.
With new leadership, there is often a lot of changes to a team, but the Jets would be hard pressed to find a better linebacker that Jamien Sherwood at a price they can afford. Hopefully new GM Darren Mougey finds a way to get this done.
