One of the big storylines coming out of the 2024 season into this past offseason was the rise of Jets inside linebacker Jamien Sherwood. A former safety at Auburn, the Jets drafted him in the 5th round in 2021 and converted him to a linebacker. He earned the trust of the coaching staff early on and eventually blossomed into an every-down playmaker for the Jets. Such a playmaker in fact that he netted a 3-year, $45 million contract back in March.
Fast-forward to October 26th, 2025. The Jets matched up against the Bengals in Week 8 and the Jets presumed starting linebacker was seen playing special teams to start the game. In fact, he was benched for the whole first quarter. This was a shock to many, as the thought was that the Jets would finally have their electric linebacking duo back this week with the return of Quincy Williams from injured reserve. They got there eventually, but it took a bit. Why was this? Perhaps it was disciplinary, but let’s say for the sake of speculation that it wasn’t.
Jamien Sherwood has been struggling this season coming off of his big payday. He’s currently sitting at a 65.4 PFF defense grade this season, which is on pace to be his lowest since his rookie season. More specifically, he’s registering a 47.1 coverage grade through 8 games, which is significantly worse than his respectable 66.2 from last season. That is usually his strength as a player. A trade is not very realistic as they just gave him an extension. However, if the Jets continue to see Sherwood as an underperformer, and they like what they have in Kiko Mauigoa, it could happen.
Jamien Sherwood’s Potential Destinations
San Francisco 49ers
This is an obvious one. Sherwood would be reuniting with the coach that drafted him, Robert Saleh. He wouldn’t be the first former Jet that the 49ers pursued via trade either, as they moved draft capital to get pass rusher Bryce Huff from the Eagles. Huff was a standout with the Jets before signing with Philadelphia in 2024. The 49ers have a large hole at the linebacker position after one of the all-time greats Fred Warner suffered a season-ending ankle injury. If they want to make a play in the NFC West, they will have to make a big move like this.
Atlanta Falcons
This is another obvious player-to-coach fit. The Falcons current defensive coordinator is former Jets defensive coordinator and interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich. Similar to Saleh, Ulbrich knows Sherwood very well. Another similarity is that the Falcons and 49ers both have suffered injuries to linebackers recently. Divine Deablo, a starting linebacker for Atlanta, recently landed on injured reserve with a forearm injury. They’re attempting to go with a committee approach to replace him, as his impact was felt on the Falcons defense. However, their issues could be fixed by one Jamien Sherwood. The Falcons, despite their inconsistency, are in the hunt in the NFC playoff race still at 3-4. They’ll have to make a move in order to make a play the NFC South or a wild card spot. This could be it.
Carolina Panthers
For the final destination, I’ll move away from coaching fits. The Carolina Panthers have one of the worst defenses in football. It showed this past Sunday as they let up 40 points to the Buffalo Bills. One of the reasons for this is their inadequate linebacking core. Neither of their starters currently have a PFF defense grade over 58.0, so they need help at the position. Typically, the Panthers are not buyers at this point. However, they are 4-4 and firmly in the hunt for a playoff spot in the NFC. A move like this could help them immediately and give them a player at an important position for the next two seasons post-2025.
Once again, I don’t see the Jets making a move like this. It would be far more sensible to move Sherwood’s running-mate Quincy Williams, as much as that would hurt many Jets fans. Anything can happen though, and the Jets will almost certainly be moving pieces at the deadline. It’s just a matter of who, and Jamien Sherwood could very well be one of them considering the aforementioned circumstances.
Main Image: Katie Stratman – Imagn Images
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