Rich CiminiMar 9, 2025, 07:02 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.
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - New York Jets general manager Darren Mougey made his first significant investment on Sunday night, retaining middle linebacker Jamien Sherwood with a three-year, $45 million contract, Sherwood's agents, Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey, told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The contract includes $30 million in fully guaranteed money.
The Jets were determined to lock up Sherwood, 25, before he became an unrestricted free agent. New coach Aaron Glenn now has his starting middle linebacker. The moves casts further doubt on the future on former Pro Bowl middle linebacker C.J. Mosley, 32, who counts $12.8 million on the cap and could be released.
Sherwood, 25, is a true success story -- a low-round draft pick by the New York Jets who changed positions, rebounded from an Achilles' tear in 2021 and made a name for himself at middle linebacker.
He played safety at Auburn, but the Jets drafted him in the fifth round (2021) with the idea of converting him to linebacker in their 4-3 front. He was the third linebacker in 2022 and 2023, coming off the field in nickel situations, but he got his big break last season when the venerable C.J. Mosley went down with a severe toe injury in Week 2.
Sherwood stepped into the "Mike" position, made the on-field defensive calls and established himself as a vocal team leader. He made a team-high 158 total tackles, tied for third in the league. He also made 10 tackles for loss and two sacks, while missing only 13 tackles, per Next Gen Stats.
Once he got on the field, he never came off. Sherwood played a team-high 1,107 snaps, counting special teams.
On a team with big names such as Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson, the players voted for Sherwood as their team MVP.
Only 6-foot-2, 216 pounds, Sherwood isn't built to be a downhill linebacker. His game is about speed and sideline-to-sideline tackling ability, making him ideal in an attack-style defense.
