For the better part of his first four seasons with the New York Jets, linebacker Jamien Sherwood was seen as a scouting and development success story.

A former safety turned linebacker and fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft, Sherwood has improved from special teams star to quality starter to defensive captain over the last few years.

In 2025, a fresh three-year, $45 million contract was awarded to the Auburn product for his potential as a player and his leadership with the Jets.

Through five games, though, Sherwood’s fifth season has been a massive disappointment. Despite earning the fifth-highest salary among linebackers ($15 million), he is currently ranked as the league’s No. 51 linebacker by Pro Football Focus.

For a player who was paid as one of the top players at his position during the offseason, that level of play is unacceptable.

However, it’s something the Jets and head coach Aaron Glenn believe can easily be fixed.

Jets address Jamien Sherwood’s struggles

Sherwood walked into the 2025 season with a complete overhaul in expectations. He was no longer just a late-round linebacker playing above his head. As a captain and one of the highest-paid players on the team, he was expected to not only play well but also put the rest of the defense in position to make plays.

On both counts, Sherwood has struggled.

In addition to Sherwood’s individual struggles, New York’s defense ranks 31st in points per game allowed. In last week’s 37-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Sherwood and many players were seen out of position as America’s Team ran up and down the field against them.

Watch: All-22 film of Jamien Sherwood's struggles vs. Cowboys

Glenn believes Sherwood’s struggles can easily be chalked up to the linebacker trying to do too much.

“Obviously, there’s a lot he can do better at,” Glenn said in London on Wednesday. “Sometimes when you have that ‘C’ on your chest, sometimes when you get that big contract, sometimes you feel like you need to do more.”

During Sherwood’s rise to prominence, the Jets had a veteran defensive leader in C.J. Mosley to assist him each week. Mosley is gone now, and it’s left a gaping hole of veteran leadership on the team.

That has led Glenn to offer some advice for the struggling Sherwood.

“Just take care of your job, along with making sure you’re getting things coordinated,” Glenn explained. “That’s normal for most guys, once you become a captain, once you get that contract, you feel like you gotta do more. All you gotta do is your job.”

A positive spin

There are a lot of issues currently plaguing the Jets’ defense outside of just their star middle linebacker. Their defensive line has struggled to mount any pressure or push against the run, and their secondary has faltered consistently.

Linebackers can only do so much when the front four and the back end of a defense aren’t holding up their end of the expectations.

But New York still needs more from its captain. At the very least, the Jets believe they are seeing incremental improvements from the veteran, even if it isn’t at the pace that many want to see.

“I like where he’s at,” Glenn said. “Obviously he can do some things better, but you’re going to see a guy that’s going to continue to improve.”

Sherwood has not played up to the top-five contract he received this offseason. He’s also in a brand-new role as a young starter captaining an entire defense.

While that change has certainly affected his play, the Jets are confident it won’t be long before Sherwood is back to his old self.