Jets' Jermaine Johnson activated off PUP list, can begin practicing
Jets linebacker Jermaine Johnson during training camp at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center in Florham Park, N.J., on June 11. Credit: Ed Murray
The Jets are getting a big piece of their defense back.
Edge rusher Jermaine Johnson passed his physical and was activated from the Active/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list on Sunday. He suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Week 2 last season in Tennessee.
Johnson now can begin participating in practice, although the Jets are expected to take it slowly. The goal all along was for him to be ready to play Week 1.
“He understands what we’re trying to do with him,” coach Aaron Glenn said. “He’s working his [butt] off to get back, but we want to make sure that we have that player for the long haul . . . It’s not just about him playing, it’s about who he is as a person and his livelihood also. So we want to make sure that he’s all good.”
When healthy, the 6-5, 254-pound Johnson will start opposite Will McDonald, giving the Jets two young, athletic and disruptive pass rushers.
Johnson made the Pro Bowl as an alternate in 2023 after registering 7.5 sacks, an interception that he returned for a touchdown, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and seven passes defensed.
This is a big season for Johnson. A first-round pick in 2022, he is eligible for a contract extension. The Jets already gave Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson — their other first-round picks in 2022 — four-year extensions.
Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey needs to see Johnson return to form before doing that. They already picked up his fifth-year option, which will pay him $13.4 million in 2026. He appreciated that and wants to reward them for their trust.
“It’s a big investment,” Johnson said. “They’ve seen enough of me and heard enough about me that they’re willing to dive into that for at least one more year, so it means a lot to me. I’m a man of my word and a man of honor. To me, that’s them lifting their end of the couch and now it’s my turn to lift my end of the couch.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
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