Well aware that his time with the Jets is coming to a close, Trumaine Johnson got out of One Jets Drive in a hurry on Monday. It was odd to see the cornerback moving so quickly.
Jets players spoke to the media one last time this year as they cleaned out their lockers, but Johnson had no interest in reflecting on his miserable tenure in New York. Instead, he wished every one a happy holiday and reminded them about his upcoming birthday.
“Happy New Years,” Johnson said. “My birthday is January 1.”
While not official yet, Johnson will not be returning to the Jets next season with his contract out of guaranteed money. If the Jets cut him before the third day of the new league year, they will save $3 million against the cap, but they’ll endure $12 million in dead money.
The 29-year-old cornerback was signed to a five-year, $72.5 million deal in 2018 by former general manager Mike Maccagnan. It ended up being one of the worst contracts in Jets history. Johnson couldn’t stay on the field because of injuries, faced team discipline and was downright atrocious when on the field.
In 17 games, Johnson had 57 total tackles, seven pass defenses, five interceptions, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and a touchdown.
Johnson also had behavioral issues in his two years with the Jets. At the end of the 2018 season, Johnson was benched in the season finale by Todd Bowles for violating team rules.
With Johnson’s exit coming, the Jets will be in the market for a new cornerback. New York’s cornerback depth was pushed to its limit with injuries to both Johnson and Darryl Roberts and it showed all season. Bless Austin and Arthur Maulet filled in admirably, but New York needs to upgrade the position this offseason.