A New York Jets beat reporter recently mentioned this former first-rounder as a possible Aaron Rodgers trade chip
Is Joe Douglas really going to unload a piece from his strong 2022 draft class for Aaron Rodgers?
With all the trade speculation surrounding the New York Jets, ESPN’s Rich Cimini weighed in on the trade and floated a surprising name: 2022 No. 26 overall pick Jermaine Johnson.
Johnson had an uneven rookie year for the Jets. He showed his expected strength in stopping the run and had some nice individual plays as a pass rusher. Overall, though, he has a lot of work to do to live up to his draft billing as an edge rusher.
This is what Cimini had to say about a Johnson trade possibility:
“There’s also the thought that the Packers, in lieu of a first-round pick, could ask for a player who was once graded highly on their draft board. The Jets have several players who might appeal to them. With a surplus of defensive ends, perhaps Jermaine Johnson — a late first-round pick in 2022 — would do the trick.”
This is pretty clearly Cimini’s opinion rather than a verified report. However, stating that the Jets have a “surplus of defensive ends” is stretching it a bit. The team still has Carl Lawson at a $15 million cap hit, and Lawson’s Jets future is uncertain.
They placed a second-rounder tender on Bryce Huff but do not seem to trust him to be an every-down edge rusher. If so, even with five defensive ends under contract, Johnson is very important to their future plans.
More importantly, though, the idea that the Jets must entertain the Packers’ demand of a “first-round pick plus more,” per Pro Football Talk, is dubious.
Rodgers is a soon-to-be 40-year-old quarterback who is due a $58.3 million option bonus prior to the start of the season. As desperate as the Jets are to have him, the Packers are nearly as desperate to get rid of him. Their president said as much.
Yes, there is no pressure point in this deal right now. Yes, it could drag out for a little while, although it will not go past the draft if the Packers have any hope of adding extra help for Jordan Love. That inherently gives the Jets a certain amount of leverage.
Still, it’s hard to believe that Joe Douglas would cave in this situation. The only way Johnson gets moved is if the Jets did not like what they saw from him and no longer think he has what it takes to make it in the NFL.
So far, there has been zero indication that this is the case.
Therefore, Packers fans can keep throwing out increasingly ludicrous trade demands, but the Jets won’t bite. Patience is a virtue in business.
