Jets general manager Darren Mougey made his first key move on Sunday after he locked up one of the team’s top defensive players ahead of free agency.
Linebacker Jamien Sherwood is returning to the Jets, according to a source. The deal is for three years and $45 million, with $30 million guaranteed, according to ESPN, who first reported the news.
Several teams would have been very interested in Sherwood had he hit the open market on Monday at noon when the legal tampering begins.
The Jets drafted Sherwood in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Auburn. He played safety in college, but the Jets and then-coach Robert Saleh converted him into a linebacker.
Sherwood’s first season in the league in 2021 was cut short after he suffered an Achilles tear five games into his career. But he rebounded, and his playing time only increased the next three seasons.
In 2022 and 2023, Sherwood was used in nickel package situations and on special teams, with C.J. Mosley and Quincy Williams being the team’s top linebackers. He only registered 62 tackles combined during those two seasons, but Sherwood finally got his opportunity last season after Mosley battled injuries (toe and neck) and missed 13 games.
Sherwood, 25, had a breakthrough 2024 campaign as he was the team’s middle linebacker and their defensive play-caller. He finished with a career-high 158 tackles, two sacks, and 10 tackles for loss. Sherwood helped the Jets finish third overall in yards (313.8) allowed last season, the third consecutive season they ranked in the top five in that category.
Despite having a roster with Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, and Quinnen Williams, Sherwood’s teammates voted him the 2024 Jets Curtis Martin Team MVP. Sherwood was the third Jets linebacker to win team MVP in the last four years, joining Quincy Williams, who won the award last season, and Mosley in 2021.