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Jets-Titans Trade Grades: Why New York Won Jermaine Johnson-T’Vondre Sweat Swap
The trade machine is off and running at the NFL combine this week, with the Jets and Titans dropping the first domino on Thursday morning.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, New York is sending edge rusher Jermaine Johnson to Tennessee in exchange for defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat. The trade reunites Johnson with coach Robert Saleh, whose then-Jets team originally selected him with the No. 26 pick in the 2022 NFL draft, while giving New York an up-and-coming nose tackle in Sweat to man the center of their defensive line.
Here’s a dive into what the swap means for both clubs.
Why the Jets won the Jermaine Johnson-T’Vondre Sweat Trade
New York’s defense was one of the worst in football in 2025, giving up the second-most points per game (29.6), allowing the eighth-most yards per game (355.6) and recording just 26 sacks on a pressure rate of 29.9%—the fifth-lowest in the NFL.
Long story short? They need change, and they know it.
The shakeup has already begun, as coach Aaron Glenn fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks in mid-December and replaced him with Brian Duker late last month. Now, New York has a pseudo-Quinnen Williams replacement in Sweat—he had the fifth-highest PFF grade among defensive linemen last season—while opening up its ability to select one of the 2026 class’s top edge rushers with the No. 2 pick in the draft.
Moving on from Johnson, also a former first-rounder, may leave a sour taste in Jets fans’ mouths, but the reality is the 27-year-old has failed to live up to the hype. Sure, he was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2023 after putting together a 7.5-sack season. But, after tearing his Achilles in ’24, he returned this season and, over 14 games, tallied 43 tackles and only three sacks with a 9.3% pressure rate.
As for the Titans, they’re moving on from a promising young defender in Sweat to bring in Johnson (who will play 2026 on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract) as a reclamation project—despite them, too, entering the season in rebuild mode after a 3–14 campaign.
The bottom line: The Jets won this one. They’re getting younger, and ideally better, across the defensive line while opening up their rebuild options for another offseason.
Jets: A-
Titans: C
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Mike Kadlick is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the New England Patriots for WEEI sports radio in Boston and continues to do so for CLNS Media. He has a master's in public relations from Boston University. Kadlick is also an avid runner and a proud lover of all things pizza.
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