SEPTEMBER 16: Johnson himself confirmed on Monday his injury is indeed an Achilles tear (video link). The news guarantees he will miss the remainder of the campaign and sets him up for a lengthy rehab process. It will be interesting to see how the Jets proceed moving forward at the defensive end spot with Johnson officially out of the picture for 2024.
SETPTEMBER 15: The Jets picked up their first win of the season on Sunday, but the team’s defense appears to have suffered a major blow. Edge rusher Jermaine Johnson was carted off the field midway through the contest, and he was quickly ruled out with an Achilles injury. 
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports Johnson is feared to have suffered a tear. Further testing will be required to confirm, but there is a very strong possibility he is facing a season-ending absence. That would leave New York without a key starter along the edge while no resolution appears to be in sight with respect to Haason Reddick‘s holdout.
Johnson logged a rotational role during his rookie campaign, one in which he recorded 2.5 sacks. Last season brought about a major increase in playing time, and the former first-rounder responded with a notable step forward. Johnson racked up 7.5 sacks and 25 pressures while serving as a key member of the team’s edge rush in particular and defense as a whole. The 25-year-old earned a Pro Bowl nod, and expectations were high for another strong campaign in 2024.
Instead, attention will now turn to a lengthy recovery process in the event an Achilles tear is indeed confirmed. New York lost Bryce Huff in free agency this offseason, one in which Reddick was acquired via trade from Philadelphia. The latter has been one of the league’s most productive edge rushers in recent years, reaching double-digit sacks every season since 2020. The Jets viewed Reddick as more of a three-down option than Huff, but he has remained absent from the team amidst a contract saga which has not seen traction gained toward a resolution.
Reddick has not reported to the team, racking up millions in fines and giving up nearly $800K in game checks for two weeks in a row. Jets general manager Joe Douglas – who immediately rejected Reddick’s August trade request – has insisted negotiations on a restructured 2024 pact or an extension will not take place until the pending free agent reports.
In his absence, plenty was counted on in Johnson’s case, so a long-term injury coupled with Reddick remaining out of the picture would represent a considerable setback for New York’s defense. The team invested a first-round pick last year with Will McDonald, although the Iowa State product played sparingly on defense as a rookie. His three sacks offered a glimpse of his potential, and Johnson being sidelined will open the door to a notable uptick in playing time.
Johnson is under contract through 2025, but the team will have a decision to make on his 2026 fifth-year option this spring. The Florida State alum seemed to be on track for that decision to be an easy one, but today’s injury is set to keep him off the field for the remainder of this season. Attention will increasingly turn to Reddick’s situation given how the Jets will be shorthanded along the edge, and McDonald in particular will be leaned on to take a step in Year 2.
New York has nearly $18MM in cap space, so finances will not be an issue if an outside addition is targeted. The free agent pool is not particularly deep, though, and several weeks will likely elapse before potential sellers emerged ahead of the trade deadline which the Jets could target for a short-term addition.
Absolutely terrible. Dude had a sneaky breakout last year and I was excited to see what he could do this year. They don’t have a great replacement. Macdonald isn’t the big body who can set the edge in the run game.
This is very concerning, especially for a DL that has understandably looked a little less fearsome through the first two weeks.
Maybe they’ll finally stop messing with Reddick and get to business instead of continuing to hold him hostage
He’s holding himself hostage. He has a contract and chooses to not report and honor it. Pretty simple
How is a dude who is under contract that he signed and refuses to play being “held hostage”
Go ahead……I’ll wait
(I’m not a jets fan)
1. You’ll be waiting a long time. 2. Unfortunately it now looks like Reddick might get his way. 3. I’m not a Jets fan either. 4. I really don’t care but I think it’s comical how Reddick and the Jets have both handled the whole thing. 5. The Jets knew what he wanted and they traded for him anyway which once again makes you question the sanity of the people who run that team.
I agree with you. Reddick is NOT holding them hostage. He’s making a business decision that is costing him thousands of dollars. The Jets are in a bad spot right now. The GM absolutely has to have this team in the playoffs this year or else he is gone. He’s going to pay Reddick now to save his job. And cross his fingers to hope that it happens. Their window with Rodgers is short…
Reddick is on the bad side of 30 and it was showing last season in Philly. The jets will overpay now because they have to. Howie knew what he was doing.The jets being the Jets.
When you talk to a player and he makes his stance known about wanting a new contract before he’s going to play for you, and then you trade for him and don’t renegotiate his contract, that’s holding a player hostage. He has no guaranteed money this year. Even one practice he could tear an ACL and have nothing this year, and turning 30 totally ruin his chances at his last big contract he’s rightfully earned. Jets KNEW he wouldn’t show up until he got paid and traded for him anyway. That’s so gutless. If I was him I’d play 6 games just so he can be off his contract and I wouldn’t go near such an inept organization ever again.
The Jets defensive quickness allowed them to win yesterday but they need to bring in Reddick or someone new. Johnson could be a big loss, so McDonald has Ronald-sized shoes to fill.