When Nick Bosa suffered his season-ending injury, the San Francisco 49ers knew they'd have to add to their pass rush. They were hoping that the New York Jets could offer some help.
San Francisco offered New York a third-round pick in exchange for Jermaine Johnson II. However, the Jets rebuffed their offer and instead held out for a second-round pick, via Connor Hughes of SNY.
When the 49ers made that offer, Robert Saleh was their defensive coordinator. In the end he got what he wanted. Now head coach of the Tennessee Titans, Saleh's franchise acquired Johnson in a trade with the Jets on Thursday.
While he never had the opportunity to play with the 49ers, Johnson is now finally getting an opportunity to link up with Saleh. The head coach will look to unlock the potential that made the Jets select Johnson in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
In his four years with the Jets, the pass rusher put up 131 tackles, 27 quarterback hits and 13 sacks. He was named a Pro Bowler in 2023 after making 55 tackles, 16 quarterback hits and 7.5 sacks – all career-highs.
With New York turning down San Francisco's third-round pick offer, they ultimately acquired defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat As for the 49ers, they'll hope Bosa is able to come back healthy for the 2026 season and will look elsewhere for pass rush help.
It's clear that Johnson has plenty of supporters outside of New York, Saleh being one of them. He was his head coach on the Jets when the pass rusher was selected. Saleh believes in what Johnson has to offer and is now ready to unleash him on the Titans.
