Jets Hit Jackpot in Jermaine Johnson Trade, Cleared Money for Breece Hall Deal

The Jermaine Johnson trade was seemingly a much better deal for the Jets than anybody realized at the time...

New York Jets running back Breece Hall (20) runs the ball before being tackled by Miami Dolphins linebacker Tyrel Dodson (25) during a week 14 football game between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The New York Jets have already made two big moves this offseason.

First, they sent edge rusher Jermaine Johnson to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat. Sweat fits the defense much better than Johnson, plus the Jets saved some money.

On Tuesday, SNY's Connor Hughes reported that the Jets were using the franchise tag on running back Breece Hall, considering they couldn't come to a long-term contract agreement before Tuesday's franchise tag deadline.

"The Jets will place the franchise tag ($14.293m) on RB Breece Hall," Hughes wrote in a post to Twitter/X on Tuesday, ahead of 4 P.M's tag deadline. "The two sides were working towards an extension, but couldn’t quite get there. The Jets expect him to play on the tag. Transition tag was originally New York’s preferred route, as discussed at the NFL Combine. There were a number of teams who let it be know they planned to make a run at the RB with deals beyond $11.3m. The Jets then pivoted off of transition, to franchise: The only way to make sure Hall wasn’t going anywhere."

Retaining Hall is a huge step in the right direction, but it was all made possible in the trade that sent Johnson to the Titans.

Jets-Jermaine Johnson trade paid them back in a big way

Dec 28, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets linebacker Jermaine Johnson (11) is called for roughing the passer, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) during the second quarter of the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Let's be clear before I dive deeper into how these two moves connect. The Jets didn't need to clear Johnson's money off their books. But it certainly helped.

While everybody was focused on the swap of players in the Johnson-Sweat swap, the Jets quietly cleared up just over $13 million by sending Johnson to Tennessee in exchange for Sweat. That means that Hall's franchise tag, valued at $14.293 million for the 2026 season, is practically a wash.

The Jets were able to retain Hall, practically for free, because of the money they saved by trading Johnson. Obviously, it's still going to be $14.293 million against the cap, but they're in the same spot they were a month ago in terms of cap space and free agency.

The additional money is going to be a huge deal for the Jets in a year that they need to retain more players like John Simpson and Alijah Vera-Tucker. They could also be going after former players of Aaron Glenn's. Either way, the additional $13 million saved in the Johnson deal is going to come up huge. It's already given the Jets a lot more financial freedom.