The New York Jets were the big sellers at the NFL trade deadline, shipping off Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. While rookie GM Darren Mougey did take big swings, he could have done even more to kickstart this rebuild. The Jets had trade offers for Jermaine Johnson II from two NFC contenders before the deadline, per Jordan Schultz.
Sources: The #Bears and #49ers were among the teams that tried to trade for #Jets pass-rusher Jermaine Johnson II.
New York wanted a 2nd-round pick, so Chicago pivoted to Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, while San Francisco ultimately stayed put. A move to the 49ers would’ve reunited Johnson… https://t.co/L2Tl5t3Mcb pic.twitter.com/67z3E6gHM6
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) November 5, 2025
“Sources: The Bears and 49ers were among the teams that tried to trade for #Jets pass-rusher Jermaine Johnson II. New York wanted a 2nd-round pick, so Chicago pivoted to Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, while San Francisco ultimately stayed put. A move to the 49ers would’ve reunited Johnson with Robert Saleh,” Schultz reported.
Johnson was drafted in the first round of the 2022 draft, alongside Gardner and Garrett Wilson. As he approaches free agency, teams started calling Mougey for the edge rusher. But New York held onto the promising edge rusher, who has dealt with injuries in his short career.
After starting all 17 games in 2023, Johnson was a key reason for optimism heading into the 2024 Jets season. He tore his Achilles tendon in Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans, ending his season prematurely. With five games under his belt this season, Johnson has just one sack. He has dealt with an ankle injury this season, missing Weeks 3 and 4.
Had the 49ers pulled off the move, Johnson would have been back with the coach who drafted him. Robert Saleh is now the defensive coordinator in San Francisco and already brought Bryce Huff in from the New York days. But even with their incredibly poor injury luck on the defensive line, they did not pay up for Johnson.
The Bears’ defense nearly cost them the game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. But even that could not get them to pay a second-round pick for the Jets’ Johnson. Will either team regret not making this move?
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