Jets To Trade Jermaine Johnson To Titans For T’Vondre Sweat
Jermaine Johnson is the latest defender to see his Jets tenure come to an end under the team’s new regime. The fifth-year edge rusher is on the move. 
Johnson is being traded by the Jets to the Titans, as first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat is heading to New York in return. Like all trades, the final agreement is pending a physical for both players. This swap will not be finalized until after the new league year begins, Dianna Russini of The Athletic notes.
[RELATED: Johnson Aimed To Be Traded; More Jets Available?]
This swap will allow for Johnson to reunite with Robert Saleh. The two were previously together on the Jets, and after a one-year stint as San Francisco’s defensive coordinator Saleh was hired last month to take charge of the Titans. Adding along the edge has been seen as a critical need in Tennessee’s case, and before free agency has even begun the team has already lined up a move on that front.
Saleh’s arrival brought about a change in scheme, something which Russini notes made Sweat more of a trade chip. In two Tennessee seasons, the former second-rounder has posted 85 stops and eight tackles for loss. Sweat, who will turn 25 in July, has two years remaining on his rookie contract. He will look to provide New York with a starting presence along the interior and by doing so help fill the vacancy created by the Quinnen Williams deal.
Williams and cornerback Sauce Gardner were each traded away at the 2025 deadline. The Jets’ new decision-making tandem of general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn received considerable interest in Johnson as well, but no deal was worked out in his case. New York rejected an offer including a third-round pick at the time, but that did not ensure Johnson would remain in place for 2026.
A December report indicated it was highly unlikely Johnson would work out an extension with the Jets. The 27-year-old will play out his fifth-year option in 2026, but he will do so on a new team. Johnson is due $13.41MM and will carry the same cap charge on Tennessee, a team which can comfortably afford an increase in costs along the defensive front. The same is also true of the Jets, of course, so it will be interesting to see how they proceed in the pass-rush department this spring.
New York owns the second overall pick in April’s draft. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza is universally expected to be selected first overall, which will leave the Jets in line to add at a different position. That could result in a pass rusher such as hybrid linebacker/EDGE Arvell Reese hearing his name called at the No. 2 slot. Free agency will also present the Jets with a number of options to add options on the edge.
Johnson had a quiet rookie season but earned a Pro Bowl nod based on his strong play in 2023. The Florida State product notched 7.5 sacks and 25 QB pressures, leading to high expectations for a strong follow-up campaign. However, an Achilles tear limited Johnson to just two games in 2024. He managed to make 14 appearances this past season, but in that time Johnson only recorded three sacks. A turnaround in Tennessee would go a long way in shaping his financial future.
The Jets ranked 29th against the run last season. Improving on that figure will be a key priority, and Sweat will be tasked with helping out on early downs in particular. The 6-4, 366-pounder was one of many Tennessee players who drew interest on the trade front this past fall, and his stock in the organization was not believed to be particularly high heading into the offseason. A change of scenery could prove to be beneficial to all parties.
After this swap becomes official, the Titans and Jets will still be among the league leaders in cap flexibility. Both teams also have considerable draft capital at the moment, so several more moves could be coming soon.
Jermaine Johnson Sought New York Exit; More Joe Douglas-Era Jets Available?
Aaron Glenn confirmed previous suspicions that he will be calling plays on defense this season. The Jets’ second-year coach indicated (via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini) that will be case, with new DC hire Brian Duker being in place as a game-planning lieutenant. This offseason change probably helped influence today’s Jermaine Johnson–T’Vondre Sweat trade.
Johnson is reuniting with Robert Saleh in Tennessee. He follows Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams as Joe Douglas-era defensive pillars shipped out via trade since deadline day. Unlike Gardner and Williams, Johnson remains on his rookie contract.
One season, a fifth-year option the Jets exercised in 2025, remains on Johnson’s deal. While Johnson stands to be a better scheme fit with the Titans, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes he had quietly sought a New York exit. This came after a report a 2026 Jets extension was unlikely.
A Nashville reunion with Saleh was one of Johnson’s preferred destinations, per Fowler. The Titans will be running Saleh’s scheme, which has included a 4-3 alignment in San Francisco and New York, while the Jets will be transitioning to a 3-4 look as Glenn takes the reins on defense, SNY’s Connor Hughes notes. Sweat will certainly be a better fit as a 3-4 nose in New York; he served in that capacity for the past two seasons in Tennessee.
As Johnson joined Williams in seeking a Jets exit, Sweat was falling out of favor in Tennessee. Sweat could not consistently keep his weight where the Titans wanted it, per veteran reporter Paul Kuharsky. He will now be part of an overhauled Jets front seven, one that still features Will McDonald as an EDGE pillar. But the Jets have moved on from Williams, Johnson, John Franklin-Myers, Haason Reddick and Bryce Huff since the 2024 offseason. With Micheal Clemons a free agent, McDonald is about all that is left from Joe Douglas‘ regime on that unit.
With Johnson out of the picture, the Jets will be closely connected to using the No. 2 overall pick — presuming the Raiders follow through on their long-rumored Fernando Mendoza selection — on an edge defender. Ohio State’s Vell Reese and Texas Tech’s David Bailey certainly did not do anything to lower their draft stocks at the Combine today. One could be added to complement McDonald come April. The Jets viewed McDonald as the higher-value player compared to Johnson last year, with the latter struggling in his first season following an Achilles tear.
The Jets may not be done trading assets acquired under Douglas, with Hughes adding talk at the Combine points to internal interest in unloading more players from the previous regime. This does not include Breece Hall, whom Gang Green plans to tag before next week’s deadline. But the dwindling number of Douglas-Saleh-era pieces may thin out further soon, as the deadline showed no one added prior to the Glenn-Darren Mougey duo’s arrival is particularly safe here.
Garrett Wilson isn’t going anywhere, and Cimini adds center/guard Joe Tippmann may be an extension candidate. Sliding to right guard (in place of the injured Alijah Vera-Tucker) after the Josh Myers signing, Tippmann has full-season starter experience at center and RG. The Jets’ two-year left guard starter, John Simpson, is a free agent. Being acquired under Douglas would make him less likely to return, but Tippmann looks to be a player this regime wants to keep working with beyond 2026.
The Jets are riding a 15-year playoff drought, by far the NFL’s longest skid, and 2025 trade acquisition Harrison Phillips said recently Glenn inherited a “cancerous, truculent” group. Phillips remains under contract, making this an interesting stance to take ahead of an April return to work. But the Jets were worse last season than in the final three Saleh years, continuing an extended period of futility.
“I think AG inherited a very cancerous, truculent group — whole, top to bottom,” Phillips said during an interview with Roundtable Sports (via Cimini). “It’s not individual people’s fault. I was there for one season — it was a very difficult season — and I almost wanted to waver on some of my thoughts and my beliefs and my optimism. So, I can’t imagine being there for year after year after year after year and not seeing the results that you wanted, and it tainted people.”
Amid that struggle, Glenn canned DC hire Steve Wilks — last season’s play-caller — and was tied to being close to hiring Don Martindale as his next DC. Rumblings about Woody Johnson changing that plan (and having Glenn call plays) surfaced. Glenn naturally defended his boss, noting (via Cimini) the owner — known as a meddlesome figure — is “not pushing me to pick coaches.”
Glenn’s seat is certainly much hotter after a 3-14 debut; he and Duker — a Lions assistant under Glenn from 2021-23 before a Miami relocation — will be tasked with turning around a unit that regressed considerably after Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich‘s exits.
Another former Glenn charge appears to be on the Jets’ radar. Alex Anzalone, who overlapped with Glenn in Detroit and New Orleans, is in play for the Jets, per Essentiallysports.com’s Tony Pauline, who notes mutual interest in a signing is present. A third-round Saints pick in their tide-turning 2017 class, Anzalone followed Glenn to Detroit in 2021. He started five seasons with the Lions, but the NFC North team — which has a slew of extension candidates based on its recent drafts — did not agree on an extension for the veteran linebacker last year.
The Lions were believed to have interest in re-signing Anzalone, but Pauline adds a market is developing for the 93-start player. Anzalone, 31, played out a three-year, $18.75MM deal. During his Detroit tenure, the Lions used a first-round pick on Jack Campbell and re-signed LB Derrick Barnes. These developments look to point the nine-year veteran elsewhere, and there could be a fit in New York — where Saleh-era piece Quincy Williams is nearing free agency.
The Jets also have safeties Andre Cisco and Tony Adams set to hit the market, and Pauline indicates the team is expected to pursue veteran help on the market next month. Jets meetings with agents representing safety UFAs-to-be are expected to take place this week, as the team’s Week 1 defense is poised to be vastly different from what it looked like to open last season.
Jets Notes: Johnson, McDonald, Rodgers
One of the players mentioned as trade candidates ahead of what turned out to be a franchise-reshaping deadline for the Jets, Jermaine Johnson has not rebounded from his 2024 Achilles tear effectively. Entering Week 18, the former first-round pick has three sacks on just six QB hits. The team is believed to have asked for a second-round pick in a trade last month, potentially being offered a Round 2 selection in a pick-swap proposal, and rejected a third-round offer for the fourth-year defender. That may have been a mistake.
The Jets picked up Johnson’s fifth-year option this offseason, doing so despite changing regimes and the current one seeing the 2022 first-rounder rehabbing from the 2024 injury. But an extension should not be considered likely. The chances of an offseason payday in 2026 appear “slim,” according to ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini. Johnson did impress in his previous healthy season (2023), leading to the Jets’ decision to exercise the $13.41MM 2026 option. That number is fully guaranteed. If no offseason extension is on the radar for Johnson, he would stand to again be a trade candidate. The Jets do hold exclusive negotiating rights with Johnson until March 2027, but it appears he will need to show more of his 2023 form (7.5 sacks, 16 QB hits) to warrant a second Jets contract.
Here is the latest from Gang Green:
- The team’s other starting defensive end, Will McDonald, was viewed as closer to untouchable at the deadline. After a 10.5-sack 2024 season, McDonald leads the Jets with eight entering Week 18. But his 2027 fifth-year option (projected at around $15MM) may not be automatic for the Darren Mougey-Aaron Glenn regime, Cimini notes. Four of McDonald’s sacks came in one game — against the Browns — and he ranks 54th in QB pressures (20). Consistency has been an issue for the 2023 first-rounder, per Cimini. Considering McDonald’s 10.5-sack, 24-hit 2024, it would surprise if the Jets passed on his option. After all, they exercised Johnson’s after he showed less through three seasons. But some big questions are in place along the Jets’ post-Quinnen Williams defensive line moving forward.
- OverTheCap currently lists Aaron Rodgers as accounting for $35MM in dead money on the Jets’ 2026 cap sheet, but that may be set for an adjustment. The two-year New York quarterback is now expected to count $28MM in dead cap next year, per CBS Sports’ Joel Corry. A $7MM cap credit is behind the disparity, with Corry noting it stems from an nonexercised option bonus. That $7MM ended up being applied to the Jets’ 2025 cap, which will leave them with some additional space in 2026. If Rodgers will count $28MM on Gang Green’s 2026 cap sheet, the team is projected to hold nearly $90MM in cap space entering 2026. Rodgers still tagged the Jets with $56MM in total dead cap — the second-highest single-player total in NFL history — in total, though it looks like the team will end up paying $28MM in both 2025 and ’26 rather than backloading the punishment.
- The Jets have already fired DC Steve Wilks, continuing the veteran staffer’s nomadic career since his Cardinals one-and-done, and more changes are likely. Defensive line coach Eric Washington is a name to watch with regard to a shakeup, Cimini adds. Washington and Wilks have an extensive past, as both worked on Ron Rivera‘s Panthers staff for most of the 2010s. While the duo went their separate ways after Wilks’ 2018 Arizona hire, with Washington later becoming the Bears’ DC in 2024, Glenn axing a longtime Wilks coworker would add up as he considers changes after a wildly disappointing season.
Jets’ Breece Hall Didn’t Request Trade; Latest On Jermaine Johnson
The Jets grabbed the most headlines in the NFL at the Nov. 4 trade deadline, moving on from star defenders Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams in blockbusters with the Colts and Cowboys. After the departures of Gardner and Williams on Tuesday, a report that running back Breece Hall wanted a trade emerged. Nothing came together, leaving Hall to finish the season with the Jets.
Addressing the rumors earlier this week, Hall said that he did not request a trade, per Brian Costello of the New York Post. At the same time, the 24-year-old neither confirmed nor denied whether he would have welcomed a change of scenery. With his first-ever trip to the open market on the horizon in the offseason, Hall will be able to choose where he plays in 2026. That is, if the Jets don’t slap the franchise tag on him.
While Hall may not have asked out of New York before the deadline, he did think the team would trade him, Armando Salguero of OutKick relays. The Jets reportedly turned down a fourth-round offer from the Chiefs. Gang Green wasn’t going to budge for less than a third-rounder.
Like Hall, Jets edge rusher Jermaine Johnson was popular in the rumor mill leading up to the deadline. Johnson also stayed put, but it wasn’t for lack of interest. The 49ers were among the teams in on Johnson, according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, who reports that one club offered the Jets a third-rounder for him.
It’s unclear if that was San Francisco, but a swap with the 49ers would have reunited Johnson with Robert Saleh. Now the 49ers’ defensive coordinator, Saleh was the Jets’ head coach when they used a first-rounder on Johnson in 2022. He made his lone Pro Bowl under Saleh in 2023.
A deadline day report indicated the Jets had netted at least one second-round offer for Johnson, but Jones’ information clashes with that. The Jets wanted a second-rounder for Johnson, per Jones. General manager Darren Mougey wasn’t going to move Johnson for less. The Jets picked up Johnson’s fifth-year option for 2026 last spring, meaning they’re not in immediate danger of losing him to free agency.
The Jets wouldn’t part with Hall or Johnson before the deadline, but those two will remain fascinating names to watch during the offseason. The team has a few months to re-sign Hall – if that fails, it could tag him – and Johnson is likely to draw trade interest again in 2026.
Jets’ Trade Deadline Aftermath
The two biggest moves of today’s trade deadline saw the Jets send away two former top-four overall picks in defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and cornerback Sauce Gardner. Many are billing the moves as a teardown of the roster en route to a rebuild, and first-year general manager Darren Mougey has put his team in as good a position as possible to stage an epic rebuild. 
Trading Williams and Gardner was not necessarily part of the plan, but according to Brian Costello of the New York Post, the Jets were given “offers they could not refuse.” A crucial part of one of today’s trades actually occurred back 112 days ago, when Gardner signed his four-year, $120.4MM extension. Mougey told the media of the strategies that made his trade possible.
“We had a lot of discussions going through that contract process and some of the details we had to have in that contract because you never know how the future is going to unfold,” Mougey said (via Costello). “We always wanted to be in position to potentially trade these contracts.”
The deals took a lot of talent away from a team that has struggled mightily in 2025, even with those stars, but they also brought incredible potential for team improvement. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport credited Mougey for his willingness to hold out throughout the leadup to the trade deadline. As offers continued to pour in with increasing intensity of interest, Mougey held firm, showing teams that he wouldn’t give up his top-tier assets unless serious offers were made. Mougey told reporters that as “Indianapolis kept getting richer and richer” with the value of their offer, it became too good to pass up.
Altogether, the new draft picks acquired in the trades give New York five first-round picks over the next two years — two in 2026 and three in 2027 — and three second-round picks, not to mention the supplemental additions of former first-round defensive tackle Mazi Smith and former second-round receiver Adonai Mitchell. Additionally, Costello reports that, in exchange for taking on $43MM in dead money this season for the trade, “the Jets are projected to have about $117MM in salary cap space” to utilize in free agency.
They didn’t trade away everyone, though. Obviously, they made it clear wide receiver Garrett Wilson wasn’t going anywhere, but the team tried and failed to find new homes for outside linebacker Jermaine Johnson, running back Breece Hall, and linebacker Quincy Williams before the deadline. Some of the issues keeping these trades from happening came down to Mougey’s demand for value.
Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports reports that the Bears and 49ers made serious attempts to acquire Johnson, but both teams pivoted as New York stood pat on their second-round demand. Fellow FOX Sports reporter Ralph Vacchiano claimed little surprise that the Jets kept Johnson over the second-round offers that reportedly did come their way, pointing to the team having already exercised his fifth-year option as evidence that they were less willing to let him go.
Another factor restricting the options available to deal the remaining players came down to competition. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, other “AFC East teams reached out to the Jets about potential deals, but New York was reluctant to trade with division rivals.”
Costello points out that, at this point in time, the oldest draft picks remaining on the Jets’ roster hail from the 2021 draft class and only long snapper Thomas Hennessy, the longest-tenured player on the team, dates back before that. The team is full of youth, and Mougey has set up multiple strong avenues with which he can continue to build around the remaining talent. All that’s left to see is whether or not Mougey can do a better job of building a team than his predecessors who put him in this position.
Jets Receiving Second-Round Offers On EDGE Jermaine Johnson
The Jets are continuing to take calls on Jermaine Johnson, with teams offering second-round picks in deals for the fourth-year edge rusher, per SNY’s Connor Hughes.
Johnson has been a popular trade target with the Jets thought to be seeking a second-round pick in exchange. New York seems to be going through a full roster reset after trading both Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams before the deadline. They are likely trying to garner as much draft capital as possible for a quarterback prospect in the next two years and rebuild their roster under their new regime.
Hughes’ specific wording – “offers include a second-round pick.” – and the timing of his report suggest that the Jets are being asked to send a pick back to an acquiring team as part of the deal. They may be trying to drum up better offers before the deadline elapses in less than two hours.
It seems likely that Johnson will be on his way out of New York later today, and other Jets like Breece Hall could also join the apparent fire sale. The Jets’ moves are arguably the most significant back-to-back trades made by a franchise in years, if not decades. They now have the draft picks to land their desired quarterback prospect in one of the next two drafts while also searching for new franchise cornerstones to replace the ones they just sent out of town.
Jets Seeking Day 2 Picks For Jermaine Johnson, Breece Hall; Quinnen Williams Unlikely To Be Dealt
NOVEMBER 2: ESPN’s Rich Cimini echoes Breer’s report and says Quincy Williams is a player who could be on the move before the deadline. He believes Quinnen Williams, Hall, and McDonald are likely to stay put, and he does not rule out the possibility of the Jets adding a player via trade, with safety and offensive lineman representing possible target areas.
OCTOBER 31: In indicating he was unlikely to be traded at the deadline, Jermaine Johnson cited a recent conversation with Jets brass. But it appears the Aaron Glenn-Darren Mougey regime is still listening on the former first-round pick.
Although the Jets are not planning to move Will McDonald, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes they are still open to unloading Johnson — albeit for a price that might spook contending teams. The Jets are believed to want a second-round pick for the 2022 first-rounder, per Breer, on a player signed through 2026.
[RELATED: Glenn Against Trading Hall At Deadline]
This asking price is in the Breece Hall ballpark as well. Despite Hall being in a contract year, Breer adds the Jets are aiming for a Day 2 pick to move on now. No extension has been in the works, after the Jets tabled re-up talks on players not named Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson this summer, but a recent report indicated the team may be warming up to the idea of re-signing Hall. It is unsurprising the Jets are setting a Day 2 price, then, as news out of New York has indicated a high price is attached to the four-year starting RB.
It took a second-rounder for the Bears to pry Montez Sweat from the Commanders in 2023; a third-rounder came back (from the 49ers) for Chase Young. Both ex-first-round picks were in walk years at that point. Dante Fowler drew third- and fifth-round picks as a rental in 2018. Johnson’s profile is more on the Fowler level, having one productive season (2023) on his resume.
The Minneapolis-area native has just one season with more than 2.5 sacks; he posted 7.5 with 16 QB hits that year. His work this season — coming off an Achilles tear — leaves much to be desired, sitting at one sack and just two QB hits through five games played. This will make a second-rounder tough to fetch for Gang Green, pointing to either the team reducing the asking price or regrouping to see if Johnson ups his value ahead of the 2026 offseason.
Hall would likely be the RB prize at this deadline, one that has not seen big names — as Alvin Kamara has been dead set against leaving New Orleans — mentioned as trade candidates. The former second-rounder is on pace for his first 1,000-yard season and is averaging 5.0 yards per carry in his platform year. The Jets will need to decide if they are truly interested in re-signing the Iowa State product. Depending on their free agency activity and Hall’s 2026 FA value, the team also will need to weigh the compensatory component when determining if it pulls the trigger on a trade now.
Additionally, Breer points out linebacker Quincy Williams is available to be moved. Ditto D-end Micheal Clemons. A former first-team All-Pro whom the Joe Douglas-Robert Saleh duo was higher on compared to the current regime, Williams observed the Jets more than double his pay rate to re-sign less accomplished LB Jamien Sherwood this offseason.
That decision likely points Williams out of town come 2026, but he may be on the move sooner. His name has come up in previous trade rumors. Clemons qualifies as a lower-profile option, but the rotational rusher did tally 4.5 sacks in 2024. The contract-year rusher does not have any this season.
Edge Rusher Trade Notes: Phillips, Johnson, Patriots, Commanders
Dolphins edge rusher Jaelan Phillips is becoming one of the hottest names on the trade market. Currently playing on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal, Phillips could be well on his way to pricing himself out of Miami through free agency, so the Dolphins could look to get something in return for losing him now via trade.
We identified Phillips as a trade candidate about a month ago. The team received interest on the 26-year-old, though Phillips expressed interest in staying in Miami. It quickly became clear, though, that Phillips was becoming more valuable than his pass rushing teammates, Bradley Chubb and Matt Judon. There’s been speculation that the Ravens would have interest in him, and then more speculation about the Eagles, a team that’s been extremely active in the trade market lately.
According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, Baltimore and Philadelphia aren’t alone in their interest. Russini adds the 49ers to the named list of suitors and suggests that others are calling Miami about their pass rushers, as well. Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer says Phillips is the most likely to be traded among the Chubb/Phillips/Judon trio.
Here are some other nuggets about the pass rusher trade market:
- As mentioned above, the Eagles have shown interest in Phillips, but they’ve also been inquiring about other pass rushers, like Jets edge rusher Jermaine Johnson. Per Russini, the link makes sense due to the presence of Joe Douglas as a senior personnel director on Philadelphia’s staff. Douglas was the general manager in New York when the Jets drafted Johnson and could be talking the 26-year-old up to his new employers. The Jets, though, are seeking a second-round pick or better in exchange for the former Pro Bowler.
- Finally, in addition to the Ravens, Eagles, and 49ers, Russini identifies the Patriots and Commanders as teams pursuing pass rushers in the trade market. Specifically, New England is also a team who has been reportedly calling on Phillips in Miami.
Ravens Buyers Or Sellers At Trade Deadline?
As the NFL’s trade deadline approaches a week from today, franchises are taking a candid look in the mirror to determine if they are a few key pieces short of a championship roster or if now is the time for them to unload restrictive or burdensome contracts en route to a rebuild, big or small. At several different points in this young season, the Ravens have appeared to reflect both teams in that mirror. 
The team started as a Super Bowl favorite in the eyes of Vegas, coming in with one of the league’s more talented rosters. They came out the gates swinging, looking much like the class of the AFC they had been billed to be, before crashing back to reality at the hands of the team that had ended their season eight months prior. They rebounded with a win over former franchise quarterback Joe Flacco — who they’ll somehow get to play against two more times this regular season — but saw injuries derail their vaunted roster over the next several weeks.
Coming out of their Week 7 bye with a 1-5 record, the Ravens faced a crossroads. While the odds aren’t phenomenal, there have been multiple teams to come back from that same record to make the playoffs; a 1-6 record has only ever been overcome once in NFL history. This statistic put immense weight on the Ravens’ Week 8 game against the visiting Bears.
If the Raven ended up falling to Chicago, it was thought that they might begin to prepare for future seasons. Per Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda, with things looking dire, there were rumors Baltimore could look to move players on the final year of their contract. This likely wouldn’t include younger players expecting new deals in the future like center Tyler Linderbaum or tight end Isaiah Likely, but more likely would be the case for veterans like tight end Mark Andrews, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, or pass rusher Kyle Van Noy. It could also encompass young players who might price themselves out of Baltimore in free agency like defensive tackle Travis Jones.
After Lamar Jackson was ruled out for the weekend, though, a 1-6 record seemed a likely destination. Facing a team that came into town sporting the only offense in the NFL to put up at least 21 points in each game this season, the Ravens were averaging 6.5 points per game in contests without Jackson. Newly anointed QB2 Tyler Huntley had other ideas in mind, and Sunday’s victory may have forced general manager Eric DeCosta to shift strategies for the trade deadline.
According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Ravens were already making calls concerning trades for a cornerback, even before their win changed their immediate outlook. Coming into the season, the new-look secondary was looking strong with Marlon Humphrey coming off a resurgent, first-team All-Pro season, first-rounder Nate Wiggins looking to take the next step, and newcome veterans Chidobe Awuzie and Jaire Alexander appearing to provide significant upgrades to the depth of the room.
Awuzie and Wiggins have certainly played their parts early in the season, but Humphrey has had perhaps the worst half of a season of his career. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) grades Humphrey as the 110th-best cornerback in the NFL out of 113 players graded at the position. And, though Alexander has not appeared on the injury report since Week 2 nor been put on any injury list, he has been inactive from Week 3 on.
Russini’s colleague at The Athletic, Jeff Zrebiec, helped identify pass rusher and offensive guard as two more areas of interest for the Ravens over the next week. Zrebiec saw the team’s Week 8 win, which put the ailing team just two games out of the division lead, as a strong indicator that Baltimore could look to make some acquisitions. If the team were to win again two days from now in Miami, Zrebiec would see that as a green light for DeCosta, who has a history of being aggressive this time of year, previously bringing in contributors like Roquan Smith and Marcus Peters.
Zrebiec focuses the possibilities on athletes Baltimore can realistically acquire, quickly ruling out Maxx Crosby, Trey Hendrickson, and other alike expensive stars whose names have frequented trade rumors. He also steers away from possibilities who wouldn’t provide enough of an upgrade over their current situation, avoiding options like Azeez Ojulari, Arden Key, Evan Neal, and Deonte Banks. Instead, he circles the names of players with tremendous upside who may have some limiting factor keeping their costs down. 
First, he suggests reunions with defensive lineman Calais Campbell and guard Kevin Zeitler. Despite the advanced age of both players — 35 years old for Zeitler and 39 years old for Campbell — each has maintained a high level of play since their respective departures from Baltimore. Upon their potential return, either lineman would immediately find their place on the first team.
Two pass rushers he identifies as likely are Jaelan Phillips and Jermaine Johnson — two 26-year-olds. Neither player will be as affordable on the trade market as the aforementioned veterans, but there are reasons Baltimore has a chance at acquiring each of them. Phillips and Johnson have both struggled with injuries in their young careers. When healthy, though, both players have shown impressive production, but their injury history has made their current teams skeptical about the idea of a long-term deal.
So, what can we expect from the Ravens in the coming days? If Baltimore loses Thursday night in Miami Gardens, that question becomes harder to predict. But if the Ravens show signs of heating up in the oddly still within reach AFC North, look for DeCosta to get aggressive in finding assets to help fix the team’s biggest weaknesses. Also, it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise is some of those veterans on contract years make their way into potential deals in order to lower Baltimore’s draft compensation.
Jets DL Quinnen Williams Drawing Interest
OCT. 25: The Jets aren’t “actively shopping” or “entertaining moving” Williams, per Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. It would take a massive offer for the Jets to change their minds.
OCT. 23: With the Nov. 4 trade deadline nearing, a host of Jets have drawn interest from around the NFL. Add defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the list, according to Connor Hughes of SNY. Teams have been inquiring about Williams’ availability, Hughes reports.
Although the Jets are off to a league-worst 0-7 start, first-year general manager Darren Mougey isn’t going to conduct a fire sale or trade anyone for “pennies,” per Hughes. As one of the Jets’ best players, Williams would surely command a significant haul. The Cowboys would have wanted Williams in a potential Micah Parsons trade with the Jets, but Mougey wouldn’t bite on that.
Now 27 years old, Williams joined the Jets as the third overall pick in the 2019 draft. The former Alabama star has continued to hold his own in the pros, where he has racked up 40 sacks and three Pro Bowl nods. Former GM Joe Douglas awarded Williams a four-year, $96MM extension in July 2023, meaning the Jets aren’t in danger of losing him in the immediate future. He’s on the team’s books through 2027.
Williams has just one sack in seven games this year, but he has still been one of the Jets’ few bright spots. The 303-pounder has already forced three fumbles, and he ranks second among defensive tackles in run stop win rate and 20th in pass rush win rate. Pro Football Focus ranks his overall performance eighth among 124 qualifying D-tackles.
Barring an unexpected trade request from Williams, who has yet to make the playoffs in the NFL, it’s hard to believe the Jets will move him over the next week and a half. Edge rusher Jermaine Johnson is a more realistic trade candidate, but it doesn’t appear he’s going anywhere. Johnson told Rich Cimini of ESPN.com that he “received” clarity on his status from the front office on Thursday.
“I’m definitely wanted here, and I want to stay here,” Johnson said.
After earning a Pro Bowl trip in 2023, Johnson missed all but two games last season as a result of a torn Achilles. That didn’t stop the Jets from picking up the former first-round pick’s fifth-year option for 2026. Johnson has missed another three games this season with an ankle injury. In the four games he has played, Johnson has collected 16 tackles and a sack. He’s set to earn $13.41MM next year, and based on what Johnson said Thursday, it seems the Jets plan to keep him beyond the deadline.