NFL free agency update: Trumaine Johnson to sign with New York Jets

The New York Jets shored up their defense by agreeing to terms with cornerback Trumaine Johnson.

The New York Jets have been making noise in free agency this year, re-signing Josh McCown, in the mix for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and signing running back Isaiah Crowell. They haven’t neglected the defensive side of the ball and ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting the Jets have agreed to terms and will sign cornerback Trumaine Johnson.

It was obvious Trumaine’s days with the Los Angeles Rams were numbered after the Rams acquired Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib over the past couple weeks. The consensus number one cornerback on the market, Trumaine had a down year in 2017, ranking as the 68th best cornerback (average) according to Pro Football Focus. By far, his best year came in 2015 when he intercepted seven passes for 147 yards and one touchdown. He also defended 17 passes that season. While he has only picked off three passes in the past two seasons, that could be the by-product of quarterbacks shying away from his side of the field. For whatever reason, the Rams decided to move on from the talented 28-year old corner.

Contract details

National reaction

Next: 2018 NFL Free Agent Tracker

Grade

Let’s not kid ourselves here.  We don’t know the number of years or guaranteed money yet, but $15 million per year is BIG money to give to a corner that graded as average last season. It’s also a lot of money for a corner that has never made a pro bowl or all-pro team. However, the money is the going rate for a starting cornerback in the NFL and Johnson has (at times) played at an elite level. The Jets’ pass defense could use the boost as it ranked 22nd in defensive efficiency in 2017. At the very least, it seems to have helped somewhat ease the Jets’ pain after losing out on Kirk Cousins today.

Grade: B