After a breakthrough season in 2024, Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood was set to grow to be a free agent for the primary time in his profession final month.
However earlier than that occurred, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn and common supervisor Darren Mougey made him one among their first transactions since becoming a member of the workforce after signing Sherwood to a three-year, $45 million deal ($30 million assured).
“The process for me was full of excitement,” Sherwood stated on Wednesday. “As a child and as you grow old, going via highschool, faculty, to getting drafted after which the free agent market, it’s huge.
“You work your whole life to reach an accomplishment like that and to be able to take care of your friends and family. For me, it was just exciting. I left it all in God’s hands and let my play speak for itself. But ultimately, God put me where he wanted me to be, and I’m thankful for everything that has happened.”
The Jets had 28 gamers scheduled to grow to be free brokers, however they had been decided to maintain Sherwood, 25, from getting into the open market, and for good purpose. After altering positions in faculty at Auburn and being chosen within the fifth spherical of the 2021 draft, Sherwood’s success story exhibits that onerous work and persistence can genuinely repay.
Sherwood performed in simply 5 video games throughout his rookie season. However he rebounded to grow to be the Jets’ third linebacker, primarily taking part in in nickel packages in 2022 and 2023.
Nonetheless, Sherwood lastly acquired a chance to steer the Jets’ protection final season. He turned the workforce’s MIKE linebacker, typically referred to as the “quarterback of the defense” for calling performs and speaking with different defensive gamers after C.J. Mosley injured his toe in Week 2.
Sherwood then registered a team-high 158 tackles, which was tied for third within the league. He additionally had two sacks and 10 tackles for loss.
“Really, really good communicator,” Glenn stated about Sherwood on the NFL Annual Conferences final week. “He can run, he has coverage ability. You just watch him on tape and the way that he talks and reacts to all the players around him and the way the players react to him, lets you know he is a true quarterback of a defense. We want to make sure we have that on defense. Getting him was critical to continue building this defense.”
The Jets launched Mosley final month, paving the way in which for Sherwood to grow to be one of many captains of their protection. After his breakout season, Sherwood desires to proceed enhancing by taking extra of a management function.
“I had a big offseason signing a new deal, but for me, that only happened because of the teammates I had,” Sherwood stated.
“That doesn’t mean nothing if I can’t bring along people with me. It means everything that I can take care of my family now, but I want to help somebody else do the same for their family. Teaching people the process and staying down the way that I’ve stayed down, and when I got my opportunity, just rising to the occasion. Helping people study, play harder doing whatever they have to do so when their time comes next year and years to come, they’re put in the same situation.”
Along with Glenn as his new coach, Sherwood can have a brand new defensive coordinator in Steve Wilks, who will inherit a Jets unit that completed within the high 5 in yards allowed for 3 consecutive years. However along with Mosley, D.J. Reed, Javon Kinlaw, and Haason Reddick additionally all left in free company.
The Jets didn’t make many splashes in free company, however two had been cornerback Brandon Stephens and security Andre Cisco. Wilks will probably use a 4-3 scheme, very similar to he did with the 49ers, Browns, Cardinals, and Panthers, which depends closely on nickel packages, disguised coverages, and a excessive blitz stress charge.
“Watching their tape, two phenomenal players,” Sherwood stated. “Cisco, we truly got here out of highschool similtaneously the 2018 class. I had a pal on Jacksonville, so I used to observe the Jaguars fairly typically and he’s been an excellent participant since faculty and highschool as nicely, he’s a ballhawk.
“Same thing with Brandon Stephens, very long physical corner. I’m excited to play alongside both of them this season.”
Sherwood can be excited to study from Glenn, who got here from a Lions workforce that had nice success after profitable the NFC North in back-to-back seasons.
In 2023, when Glenn was the Lions’ defensive coordinator, they completed nineteenth within the league in yards (336.1), a 12 months after ending final in that class. The next season, Detroit was twentieth in yards allowed (342.4), however was seventh in factors allowed (20.1). The Lions allowed the second-lowest completion proportion (61.1%) and the league’s lowest passer score (82.0) final season regardless of having 13 defensive gamers on injured reserve.
“He’ll be a great mentor for us all,” Sherwood stated about Glenn. “For me, it’s good to have a coach like that has performed and I can see the place he’s coming from and perceive the place he’s coming from as being a participant.
“He can teach me how he saw it and long with the other coaches, they also played as well. Just having all those different perspectives all in one is big for all of us as players.”
