The historical pace of the New York Jets’ 2022 draft class had fans thrilled for the future of the franchise.
After three seasons, though, questions have begun to be asked about the young core of the organization moving forward.
All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner, wide receiver Garrett Wilson, and edge rusher Jermaine Johnson are all players who have much to prove under a new regime led by head coach Aaron Glenn.
Lucky for them, it appears Glenn unveiled a path for each to get back to their elite status heading into 2025.
Glenn Provides Update on Jets’ Talented Core
The trio of Gardner, Wilson, and Johnson are all up for extensions this offseason.
Each of those players is coming off a season in which questions about injury, effectiveness, or attitude have grown. Glenn addressed each of those players and the concerns surrounding them Monday morning at the league meeting in Florida.
Garrett Wilson
Talks of a potential rift between the former Ohio State receiver and Aaron Rodgers grew to a point during New York’s lost season that rumors of a potential trade request from the receiver may have come this offseason had the Jets not made a quarterback change.
For Glenn, though, one thing he made abundantly clear about Monday morning is that what happened last year has no bearing on their thoughts of the players.
“I wasn’t here last year, so I don’t care,” Glenn said in a question regarding Wilson’s attitude last season. “I know right now, we’ve had a lot of good conversations – that’s all I care about.”
Now that the Jets have moved on from Rodgers, it appears Wilson is back to being all-in with Gang Green.
Sauce Gardner
Much like Wilson, Gardner is a player who has shown he can be elite when he’s playing up to his full potential. He was the first cornerback to in league history to be named a first-team All-Pro in back-to-back seasons to start his career.
After such a historic start to his career, it was only natural for Gardner to take a step back in his third season.
And boy, did that happen quickly.
It wasn’t that Gardner was bad in 2024. His 70.2 grade from Pro Football Focus described an above-average player last season. It’s hard to ignore being penalized twice as much as he ever had been during his first two seasons, though, and his tackling took a major step back as well.
Despite the disappointing play last season, Glenn has made it abundantly clear that Gardner can get back to being one of the elites in the league again.
And the Jets will do everything in their power to get him there.
“This is a grown man’s league,” Glenn said. “You’re not going to be at the top of your game every year…he has it in him. I’m not worried about last year.”
The hiring of Glenn could be seen as great news for Gardner. New York’s head coach was a Pro Bowl cornerback for the team decades ago, and there is hope the current regime can get even more out of their current All-Pro.
“He can be the best in the league. He has the size…all the traits that you want,” Glenn explained. “Sauce didn’t tackle as good as he could have last season, but his first years, he tackled his ass off, so we know it’s in him, and he’s gonna get back to doing that.”
Jermaine Johnson
Unlike Gardner and Wilson, Johnson is always considered an afterthought when compared to the other two players picked in the first round of that fateful Jets’ 2022 draft.
That doesn’t mean he hasn’t been impactful, though.
Johnson recorded 10 sacks in his two full seasons with the team. He suffered a torn Achilles in Week 2 of the 2024 season and has been working through his rehab ever since.
Glenn made it clear that Johnson “has been working his ass off to get where he wants to be” in his recovery. The head coach also told a story about how he coached the Florida State product at the Senior Bowl, so he “knows who he is.”
Recovering from Achilles surgery isn’t an easy thing for any athlete. Entering a pivotal fourth season with the team, though, Johnson seems to be doing everything he can to get back on the field.
Contract Updates
The Jets need to decide whether they want to get extensions done for Gardner and Wilson, specifically whether they do it this offseason or if they want to push those negotiations into another offseason.
While general manager Darren Mougey did say Sunday the team would be circling back to extension conversations following the draft, Glenn made clear the focus for New York would be on retaining their young talent.
“The best form of free agency is signing your own guys,” Glenn said. “As much as we can do that, man, we’re gonna try to…I’m in the business of keeping good players.”
New York has a collection of young talent that they want to keep on the roster for a long time.
What About Breece Hall?
The tone from Glenn around Johnson, Gardner, and Wilson was hopeful that they could be part of the young core and get back to playing like their elite selves this season.
One player noticeably absent from that conversation? Running back Breece Hall.
The former second-round pick is entering the final year of his rookie deal with the Jets after a very disappointing season, while also dealing with a myriad of injuries along the way. While he has been used to being the bellcow of the Jets’ offense, things are about to change.
“I think, mentally, he’s in a good place, but I would say that we have three running backs on this team that we’re going to utilize as much as possible,” Glenn explained.
For New York to bring up both Isaiah Davis and Braelon Allen as part of their running back room could be a sign that the new regime does not value Hall as much as the previous one did – and that his time could be coming to a close after the 2025 season.
