Winners and Losers in the DL T’Vondre Sweat, EDGE Jermaine Johnson trade between the Tennessee Titans and New York Jets

The Titans and Jets pulled off a rare player-for-player trade, but who came out on top?

Easton Freeze — Tennessee Titans Beat Writer
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The Tennessee Titans got their offseason moves kicked off at the Scouting Combine this year, making their first roster cuts on Wednesday. Then on Thursday morning, they shook up the league with a rare player-for player trade. GM Mike Borgonzi sent DL T’Vondre Sweat to the Jets in exchange for EDGE Jermaine Johnson.

It’s a move that reshapes the Titans’ offseason outlook, but did they come out as the winners?

Winner: The Titans and their offseason needs

I actually don’t see this as a bad move for either team! I’m a fan of Sweat and absolutely see the value the Jets see in him. More on that side of the trade in a moment. But at the end of the day, I think the team who got the player who’s flashed higher highs and plays a more premium position is the team who won the trade, and that is the Tennessee Titans.

I have to put my hand up on this one: I was wrong about Borgonzi not trading Sweat this offseason! I really did not see it happening. But in my defense, my reasoning was largely based on the fact that I didn’t see them getting a trade offer for him that was anywhere near the value of this trade. I’m pretty shocked this is a straight player-for-player move with no additional compensation to level the scales.

I understand the cost control and injury elements here, which are certainly factors. Sweat has two years left on his rookie deal and has been healthier. Johnson is playing on his fifth year option in 2026 and suffered an achilles tear in 2024, ironically against the Titans. But he should be at his best in a contract year, and he’s a year-after-the-year guy in terms of the major injury. This is a no-brainer offer to accept, I just can’t believe it was made in the first place.

Settler: The Jets regime fighting for survival

I don’t think the Jets are actually losers here, because I like Sweat as a player a lot. He’s cost controlled, and as long as he’s working hard and handling his business off the field, he’s an impact player. Especially if Johnson was unhappy with the Aaron Glenn regime and/or had no future with the team beyond this final year of his rookie contract, I understand flipping him for value.

I think the Titans got the better end of the deal thanks to the premium nature of the position and the fit with Saleh and that defense, which Johnson was originally drafted into and played his best in. But the Jets and Titans achieved the closest thing to a win-win I can imagine for two situations where players just weren’t a hand-in-glove fit anymore.

Loser: Ran Carthon’s roster legacy

Another pick of Ran Carthon’s bites the dust. His fingerprints on the Titans roster are being dismantled with impressive speed by new GM Mike Borgonzi, which is a shame for the Titans’ long-term roster health. The chain of young players being developed and retained in Tennessee remains pretty broken up even beyond the end of the Jon Robinson era now.

In particular, the Titans’ recent run of round two picks aren’t hitting at all. They cannot continue to miss out on better fits with such premium picks if they’re going to rise up out of the basement.

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