The first round of the 2022 draft yielded a trio of impact players for the Jets. Cornerback Sauce Gardner and receiver Garrett Wilson have enjoyed strong starts to their careers, and extensions with one or both could be worked out as early as this offseason.

Regardless of when a long-term pact is signed on each of those fronts, New York can be expected to exercise Gardner and Wilson’s respective fifth-year options covering the 2026 season. The team will also have to make the same decision as it pertains to edge rusher Jermaine Johnson. The Jets’ new regime has not stated its intention yet, but Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports it is likely Johnson’s option will indeed be picked up this spring (subscription required).

Johnson will be classified as a linebacker for the purposes of his fifth-year option, and he lands in the fourth tier of compensation based on his playing time to date. As a result, his 2026 salary will be $13.41MM if his option is exercised. New York will have until May 2 to decide on Johnson’s situation (and that of the team’s other 2022 Day 1 selections).

After handling rotational duties along the edge as a rookie, Johnson took on a full-time starting role in 2023. The Florida State product totaled 7.5 sacks, 25 pressures and a forced fumble while confirming his status as a key defensive figure over the short- and long-term future. Expectations were high for a strong follow-up campaign, but Johnson was limited to only a pair of games in 2024 due to an Achilles tear.

The injury could give new general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn pause when contemplating the Johnson situation, but declining his option would leave the door open to a free agent departure next spring. The Jets traded away John Franklin-Myers at the draft last season, and Haason Reddick will no doubt be playing elsewhere in 2025 given the way his New York tenure played out. Johnson, 26, should thus be in line to again handle a key pass-rushing role once healthy and he could easily find himself in the team’s long-term plans.

2023 first-rounder Will McDonald took a major step forward in production this past campaign, notching 10.5 sacks. He will be counted on to remain an integral member of the Jets’ front seven, and the same will be true for Johnson provided his option is picked up. Just like Gardner and Wilson, of course, a multi-year extension can be agreed to with the latter at any time.

SEPTEMBER 16: Johnson himself confirmed on Monday his injury is indeed an Achilles tear (video link). The news guarantees he will miss the remainder of the campaign and sets him up for a lengthy rehab process. It will be interesting to see how the Jets proceed moving forward at the defensive end spot with Johnson officially out of the picture for 2024.

SETPTEMBER 15: The Jets picked up their first win of the season on Sunday, but the team’s defense appears to have suffered a major blow. Edge rusher Jermaine Johnson was carted off the field midway through the contest, and he was quickly ruled out with an Achilles injury.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports Johnson is feared to have suffered a tear. Further testing will be required to confirm, but there is a very strong possibility he is facing a season-ending absence. That would leave New York without a key starter along the edge while no resolution appears to be in sight with respect to Haason Reddick‘s holdout.

Johnson logged a rotational role during his rookie campaign, one in which he recorded 2.5 sacks. Last season brought about a major increase in playing time, and the former first-rounder responded with a notable step forward. Johnson racked up 7.5 sacks and 25 pressures while serving as a key member of the team’s edge rush in particular and defense as a whole. The 25-year-old earned a Pro Bowl nod, and expectations were high for another strong campaign in 2024.

Instead, attention will now turn to a lengthy recovery process in the event an Achilles tear is indeed confirmed. New York lost Bryce Huff in free agency this offseason, one in which Reddick was acquired via trade from Philadelphia. The latter has been one of the league’s most productive edge rushers in recent years, reaching double-digit sacks every season since 2020. The Jets viewed Reddick as more of a three-down option than Huff, but he has remained absent from the team amidst a contract saga which has not seen traction gained toward a resolution.

Reddick has not reported to the team, racking up millions in fines and giving up nearly $800K in game checks for two weeks in a row. Jets general manager Joe Douglas – who immediately rejected Reddick’s August trade request – has insisted negotiations on a restructured 2024 pact or an extension will not take place until the pending free agent reports.

In his absence, plenty was counted on in Johnson’s case, so a long-term injury coupled with Reddick remaining out of the picture would represent a considerable setback for New York’s defense. The team invested a first-round pick last year with Will McDonald, although the Iowa State product played sparingly on defense as a rookie. His three sacks offered a glimpse of his potential, and Johnson being sidelined will open the door to a notable uptick in playing time.

Johnson is under contract through 2025, but the team will have a decision to make on his 2026 fifth-year option this spring. The Florida State alum seemed to be on track for that decision to be an easy one, but today’s injury is set to keep him off the field for the remainder of this season. Attention will increasingly turn to Reddick’s situation given how the Jets will be shorthanded along the edge, and McDonald in particular will be leaned on to take a step in Year 2.

New York has nearly $18MM in cap space, so finances will not be an issue if an outside addition is targeted. The free agent pool is not particularly deep, though, and several weeks will likely elapse before potential sellers emerged ahead of the trade deadline which the Jets could target for a short-term addition.