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Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff WriterSep 16, 2024, 12:53 PM ET
- Rich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL at ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years, joining ESPN in 2010. Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He previously was a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University. You can follow him via Twitter @RichCimini.
New York Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson confirmed on social media Monday that his right Achilles is torn, meaning he will miss the remainder of the season.
“This is not a dark time for me, although there will be dark days ahead,” Johnson said in his post.
Johnson’s injury, suffered in Sunday’s 24-17 win over the Tennessee Titans, ramps up the pressure on New York to resolve its contract dispute with Haason Reddick if he still wants to play for Jets.
Reddick requested a trade from the Jets on Aug. 12. The Pro Bowl edge rusher, holding out since his arrival from the Philadelphia Eagles in the spring, has forfeited two game checks ($792,000 apiece) and has accumulated more than $5 million in mandated fines.
Without Reddick and Johnson, who recorded 7.5 sacks last season and made the Pro Bowl as an injury replacement, the Jets are dangerously thin on the edge in their 4-3 front.
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Their top ends are Will McDonald IV and Micheal Clemons, both of whom were projected as rotational players. Next on the depth chart is journeyman Takkarist McKinley, a former Atlanta Falcons first-round pick trying to resurrect his career.
The Jets, who host the New England Patriots on Thursday night, are not a heavy blitzing team. They rely on their front four to generate pressure on the quarterback. Reddick is their most accomplished edge rusher, having recorded 50.5 sacks in the past four seasons.
Despite the obvious need, coach Robert Saleh stuck to the company line Monday morning.
“I’ll say it again: We got the guys that we have in our room, guys that we love, the guys that we’ve been working with and those are the guys we’re going to continue to work with until everyone figures it out,”
Reddick wants a long-term extension commensurate with the highest-paid edge players. His current base pay is a nonguaranteed $14.25 million; he’s thought to be seeking about $25 million per year.
The Jets traded for Reddick in the offseason after losing sack leader Bryce Huff in free agency. Reddick was upbeat at his introductory news conference April 1, but things turned sour shortly thereafter.
General manager Joe Douglas has been criticized for not renegotiating Reddick’s contract before the trade, especially since it was widely known that he wanted a new deal. The Jets dealt a 2026 conditional third-round pick to the Eagles. Douglas doubled down on Reddick by trading longtime defensive end John Franklin-Myers in late April.
“Joe knows exactly what we need, and Joe knows exactly what’s on all of our minds, and he’s very, very good at asking questions and understanding what we’re feeling and whatever angst [we have], if any, at any position,” said Saleh, speaking of the coaching staff. “But at the end of the day, there’s a business part of it and that’s where we coach football, and they do the business stuff.”
On Sunday, the Jets got a lift from McDonald, who recorded three sacks to equal his production from his rookie year. He made the biggest defensive play of the game, sacking Will Levis on a third down from the Jets’ 8 with 29 seconds left.
Still, Johnson’s absence will be felt because he’s one of their better run defenders. The Jets like to rotate eight linemen on game day, keeping their top rushers fresh for critical situations.
The Jets also could be without three other defensive starters Thursday night — linebacker C.J. Mosley (toe), cornerback D.J. Reed (knee) and slot corner Michael Carter II (ankle).
