Jermaine Johnson was texting former teammate Aaron Rodgers on Monday night.
Johnson would not say if the two discussed Week 1, when Rodgers will lead the Steelers into MetLife Stadium to face the Jets.
But he acknowledged that he can’t wait to face him.
For Johnson, it will mean more than just getting a chance to sack Rodgers. It will be his first game back after tearing his right Achilles tendon in Week 2 last season.
“Obviously, I’m excited. He’s excited. It was a pleasure having Aaron around. I wish him the best,” Johnson said. “When I get between those lines, there’s no friends. I think he knows that and he feels the same. I’m excited. It’s just another game, but for me it’s going to be my first game back. There’s going to be a lot of emotions. When my emotions run high, I tend to play pretty well.”
Johnson’s locker was near Rodgers’ in the Jets locker room in Florham Park. Rodgers often held court at his locker and Johnson was one of the players who often was hanging with him.
When Johnson tore his Achilles last September, it was Rodgers who gave him advice after dealing with the same injury the year before.
That was the beginning of the long road back for Johnson. On Tuesday, Johnson was on a side field with trainers, pulling a weighted sled behind him as his teammates opened up their three-day minicamp.
The Jets expect Johnson to return at some point in training camp and definitely in time for the regular season. Johnson said he’s learned about himself during this process.
“I learned that I’m a pretty good handyman,” Johnson joked. “I don’t got to pay somebody from Task Rabbit to do things around the house anymore.”
Then, Johnson really answered the question.
“I’ve always been pretty good at patience,” Johnson said. “You all know it, it wasn’t the easiest or shortest ride getting here. It was just another thing. I’ve never been seriously injured. Oddly enough, it added some confidence to me. I would always see guys get season-ending injuries and be like, ‘Dang, I don’t know if I’ve got what it takes to do that.’ Now, going through it, it’s like obviously I do. I just feel so confident right now.”
The Jets are counting on Johnson to return to his pre-injury form. He had 7.5 sacks and made the Pro Bowl in 2023. He was expected to be a big piece of the 2024 defense, then the injury happened.
New Jets coach Aaron Glenn is familiar with Johnson, having coached him in the 2022 Senior Bowl.
“There’s things that stand out going back to college and even at the Senior Bowl when I had a chance to coach him then,” Glenn said. “He’s a hard-nosed, physical, violent player that’s very athletic, that has the ability to win off the edge and make plays on the quarterback. Listen, you don’t get a lot of guys that has the athleticism that he does but still be strong and powerful to hold up against the run. I’m excited to see that player get out there in training camp and going into the first game. He’s going to be a huge part of what we’re doing.”
The new Jets regime showed its belief in Johnson when it picked up his fifth-year option this spring. That guarantees him $13.4 million in 2026 if the Jets and Johnson don’t agree to a long-term deal before then.
“It’s a big investment,” Johnson said. “They’ve seen enough of me and heard enough about me that they’re willing to dive into that for at least one more year. It means a lot to me. I’m always a man of my word and a man of honor. To me, that’s them lifting their end of the cup and now it’s my turn to lift my end of the cup.”