Jaguars Walk Away From 2026's First Trade as Winners

The Jacksonville Jaguars were not involved in the T'Vondre Sweat, Jermaine Johnson trade, but they still walked away as winners.

Dec 8, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat (93) against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The NFL is a league full of dominoes falling. As one team makes a move, another team in a different division, conference, and part of the country entirely is impacted one way or another.

Such is the case for the Jaguars after the Tennessee Titans and New York Jets agreed to the first trade of the 2026 offseason, which will swap nose tackle T'Vondre Sweat and defensive end Jermaine Johnson.

With the Titans moving on from Sweat and adding Johnson ahead of the start of the 2026 offseason, the Jaguars have seen one big name leave the AFC South and one big name get added to it. So, how does this trade impact the Jaguars?

Jaguars Benefit

Dec 8, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat (93) takes the field against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Most signals from the TItans' beat has been that Sweat's days with the franchise have been numbered since the general manager who drafted him, Ran Carthon, was fired. This is often what happens when a new regime takes over, but that doesn't take away from Sweat's value and impact. The Jaguars specifically have held immense respect for Sweat since he joined the division, especially last season.

With the trajectory Sweat has been on, the Titans were arguably set to have one of the best defensive tackle duos in the NFL next season between him and Jeffery Simmons. Sweat was PFF's No. 6 defensive tackle in 2025 and his pass-rush numbers improved from the year before.

Dec 28, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (98) and defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat (93) celebrate a New Orleans Saints fumble during the first quarter of the game at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Perhaps there were other things at play such as scheme fit, but Sweat pretty easily would be the most valuable defensive tackle on the free agent market if he was in this year's group. It would be hard to find a player of his age, talent, and cheap contract value in this year's crop of free agent and rookie defensive tackles.

While the Titans certainly had a need at defensive end entering the offseason, Johnson will likely now be seen as the No. 1 pass-rusher for the Jaguars' rival entering next season. This means the Jaguars' rival has gone from having a top defensive tackle duo to a pass-rush that, for now is led by Johnson who has an injury history, had a major down year in 2025, and has never hit big highs as a pass-rusher before.

Jul 24, 2025; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat (93) goes through drills during training camp at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

The Titans could still use their top pick on a defensive end, but for right now it looks like the Titans gave away a top asett and the Jaguars can benefit from it. The Jaguars' run game struggled against the Titans last year, and members of the Jaguars pointed to Sweat and Simmons as one of the biggest reasons why. This trade is a good thing for the Jaguars.

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