The Jets placed edge rusher Jermaine Johnson on the active/physically unable to perform list Saturday, the team announced.
Johnson tore his right Achilles in a Week 2 game against the Titans, but he is expected to be ready for the 2025 season opener.
He gave an update after the Jets announced their pre-camp transactions.
“I will be on PUP because the team wants to move slow to be safe, which I agree with. Not because I’m not ready. All is well,” Johnson wrote on social media.
Johnson, the 26th overall pick in 2022, earned Pro Bowl honors in 2023 when he totaled 7.5 sacks, 55 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 16 quarterback hits and an interception that he returned for a touchdown.
The Jets also placed wide receiver Irvin Charles on the active/PUP list.
Charles, a core special teams player, tore an ACL on a punt-coverage snap against the Dolphins last December. At that time, his five tackles on special teams tied for team lead.
Rookie linebacker Aaron Smith received an active/non-football injury/illness designation. His injury or illness is undisclosed.
The South Carolina State product signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent in April after leading the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with 92 tackles in 2024.
The Jets have gotten a deal done with their second-round pick.
Per Cameron Wolfe of NFL Media, New York and Mason Taylor have agreed to terms on the tight end’s four-year rookie contract.
Taylor was the No. 42 overall pick in this year’s draft. Wolfe notes that of the $10.46 million in Taylor’s contract, 91.3 percent of it ($9.56 million) was guaranteed. Taylor also received 60 percent of his Year 4 salary guaranteed, which is a 55 percent increase from the No. 42 pick in 2024.
Taylor, 21, played his college ball at LSU. He is the son of Hall of Fame defensive end Jason Taylor.
When receiver Mike Williams elected to return to the Chargers this offseason, he said that he had something to prove after a “terrible” 2024 with the Jets and Steelers.
But then Williams landed on the physically unable to perform list to start training camp.
Now, Williams has elected to hang up his cleats.
According to multiple reports, Williams has informed the Chargers that he is retiring.
Williams, 30, was the Chargers’ first draft selection after the club relocated to Los Angeles in 2017. He was the No. 7 overall pick of that year’s draft out of Clemson.
But Williams’ career was marred by injury. He dealt with a back issue in his rookie season and had another one in 2022. Then he suffered a torn ACL in 2023, which likely hindered him in 2024. He was able to appear in every game in a season only twice — in 2018 with the Chargers, and then he played 18 games last season — nine with the Jets and nine with the Steelers.
Williams eclipsed 1,000 yards twice — in 2019 and 2021, both with the Chargers. His best season was the latter, as he ended the year with 76 receptions for a team-high 1,146 yards while also leading the team with nine receiving touchdowns.
Williams will end his career having appeared in 106 games with 67 starts. He recorded 330 receptions for 5,104 yards with 32 touchdowns.
The Jets and Sauce Gardner have worked out a new deal. On the surface, it’s the best deal ever signed by an NFL cornerback.
At a deeper level, it’s open to interpretation.
First, the details. Here they are, per a source with knowledge of the terms:
1. Signing bonus: $13.75 million, paid in full by September 30, 2025.
2. 2025 base salary: $1.25 million, fully guaranteed.
3. 2026 option bonus: $20 million, fully guaranteed.
4. 2026 workout bonus: $250,000, fully guaranteed (but must be earned).
5. 2026 base salary: $5.25 million, fully guaranteed.
6. 2027 option bonus: $10 million, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2026.
7. 2027 workout bonus: $250,000, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2026 (but must be earned).
8. 2027 base salary: $13.953 million, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2026.
9. 2027 per-game roster bonus: $750,000 total, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2026 (but must be earned).
10. 2028 workout bonus: $250,000, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2027 (but must be earned).
11. 2028 base salary: $19.2 million, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2027.
12. 2028 per-game roster bonus: $750,000 total, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2027 (but must be earned).
13. 2029 workout bonus: $250,000.
14. 2029 base salary: $29.1 million.
15. 2030 per-game roster bonus: $750,000 total.
16. 2030 workout bonus: $250,000.
17. 2030 base salary: $29.1 million.
18. 2030 per-game roster bonus: $750,000 total.
The new-money APY of $30.1 million beats Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. by $100,000 per year. However, there are some key differences.
First, Stingley signed a three-year extension. He’s under contract for five years, not six.
Second, Stingley has better guarantees than Gardner, despite being under contract for one fewer year.
For Stingley, the total guarantee is $89 million, with $48 million fully guaranteed at signing, $68 million fully guaranteed by 2026, and the full $89 million vesting by 2027.
For Gardner, the total guarantee is $85.65 million, with $40.5 million fully guaranteed at signing, $65.45 million fully guaranteed by 2026, and the full $85.65 million vesting by 2027.
Stingley also has better cash flow in the early years, with $6 million more in 2026 and $7.3 million more through 2027.
One last point. Stingley pushed the bar up by $5 million per year, over Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn. Gardner has nudged it by only $100,000 per year.
It’s still a great deal for Gardner, who had a down year in 2024. The new regime easily could have waited until 2026 to re-do the deal. Of course, if/when Gardner had gotten back to his form of 2022-23, it would have cost a lot more if they had opted to kick the can for a year.
The Jets struck one big deal with a 2022 first-round pick on Monday and they got another one done on Tuesday.
NFL Media reports that cornerback Sauce Gardner has agreed to a four-year extension with the team. Wide receiver Garrett Wilson agreed to a deal of the same length on Monday, which leaves edge rusher Jermaine Johnson as their only 2022 first-round pick who has not gotten a second contract with the team.
Gardner also confirmed that the deal was done on social media.
Gardner’s deal is worth $120.4 million, which bumps him ahead of Derek Stingley of the Texans for the highest average annual salary among NFL cornerbacks. The deal includes $60 million in guaranteed money.
Gardner was the defensive rookie of the year in 2022 and he was named a first-team All-Pro after each of his first two seasons. His play dropped off during a dismal 2024 Jets season, but the deal suggests that the team’s new General Manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn believe that he will return to his previous form in the coming years.
The Jets’ new regime isn’t leaving anything to chance when it comes to the club’s top receiver.
New York has agreed to a four-year contract extension with Garrett Wilson, according to multiple Monday reports.
The initial numbers indicate the deal is worth $130 million with $90 million guaranteed.
The No. 10 overall pick of the 2022 draft, Wilson was already signed through 2026 after the Jets picked up his fifth-year option in the spring. But having finished his third year in 2024, Wilson was eligible for a second contract, and now he has one.
Wilson has eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving in each of his three seasons, playing all 51 games for which he’s been eligible. He set career highs in receptions (101), receiving yards (1,104), and touchdowns (seven) last season.
In all, he’s caught 279 passes for 3,249 yards with 14 TDs.
Wilson was the 2022 AP offensive rookie of the year. His teammate, cornerback Sauce Gardner, won the corresponding defensive award.
The No. 4 overall pick of the same draft, Gardner is also eligible for a contract extension. With Gardner’s deal done, it stands to reason the Jets will look to lock up Gardner sooner than later.
The Jets have joined their co-tenants at MetLife Stadium in announcing their schedule of open training camp practices.
The team will report to camp on July 22 and they will hold their first practice open to fans on July 25. They will have another open practice on July 26.
Seven overall practices will be open to the general public. The rest of those workouts will take place on July 31, August 2, August 7, August 19, and August 20.
The Jets will also have a joint practice on August 12 with the Giants. That session will be open to the team’s season ticket holders and it will come the day before they have a joint practice with their fellow Jersey residents at the Giants’ facility.
C.J. Mosley announced his retirement from the NFL last month. It didn’t take him long to find a second career.
Mosely announced Tuesday he is launching Legacy Trust Sports Group, a full-service sports agency co-founded with longtime business partner Brandon Wassel.
“Coaching was never my path, but guiding, mentoring and doing the right thing has always been in my DNA,” Mosley said in a press release. “Our mission is to help athletes grow not just as players but as people, throughout their careers and beyond.”
The agency also announced the hirings of senior agent Joe Gazza, who currently represents four players in the NFL, vice president of player personnel AK Mogulla, formerly Auburn’s lead front office official, director of client services Xaria Wiggins, formerly Auburn’s recruiting coordinator, director of football operations Gabby Singer, a licensed NFL agent, and head of social media marketing Cade Pribula, who follows Gazza from Acrum Sports.
Next July, MetLife Stadium will be hosting the FIFA World Cup final match. In the opinion of Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovač, the venue is more suited to hosting the PGA Championship.
“It’s more a golf green, so you can putt here,” Kovač said after a 3-2 loss to Real Madrid in the Club World Cup, via Ronald Blum of the Associated Press. “It’s very short. But this is not the grass we are used to playing on in the Bundesliga and also in the other two stadiums.”
Kovač is referring to matches played by Dortmund at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati and at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
“As you saw, the watering wasn’t good enough, I would say, because you don’t have the devices for that.” Kovač said. “When it’s too dry, it’s unbelievable. It’s sticking.”
Kovač also commented on the heat of the outdoor matches. When the most recent match at MetLife Stadium started, it was 86 degrees.
The FIFA World Cup final is reportedly expected to start at 3:00 p.m. ET on July 19. Which means it could be very hot for the most important match in the sport.
If the Jets are going to exceed expectations this season, they will need a strong season from quarterback Justin Fields.
Fields was drafted 11th overall by the Bears in 2021 because they thought he could be their long-term answer at quarterback, but could never turn flashes of talent into consistent play and he moved on to the Steelers last season. Fields was 4-2 as a starter to open the year, but the Steelers still opted to go with Russell Wilson the rest of the way and that led to Fields moving on to the Jets as a free agent this offseason.
A third team in three years doesn’t do much to inspire hope that it will all fall into place for Fields this fall, but his new teammate Andre Cisco thinks that anyone who shares those doubts is in for an unpleasant surprise. The safety has gone up the ladder at the same time as Fields and he said his first chance to see the quarterback up close has convinced him good things are coming.
“Me and Justin, we were in the same class in high school,” Cisco said. “Same class in college, same class coming up to the NFL so these are the people that, whether you play with them or not, you feel like you know them from not too far away. Getting to know him up close as a teammate has been really, really special. I’m really glad that I get this opportunity to get behind him and just support him as he takes on that role. We already know what quarterback means in the NFL. I’m excited for him to prove those who are doubting him wrong and those who are supporting right, because I think he’s gonna have a huge year.”
Cisco isn’t the only Jets player to share his belief that the team is in better shape than most outside observers believe, but years of offseason hope that went nowhere for the Jets means the proof will have to come on the field for the bandwagon to fill up.
