Linebacker Jamien Sherwood is returning to the Jets on a $45 million deal, with $30 million fully guaranteed, his agents, Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey, told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Sherwood, 25, is a true success story -- a low-round draft pick by the New York Jets who changed positions, rebounded from an Achilles' tear in 2021 and made a name for himself at middle linebacker.
He played safety at Auburn, but the Jets drafted him in the fifth round (2021) with the idea of converting him to linebacker in their 4-3 front. He was the third linebacker in 2022 and 2023, coming off the field in nickel situations, but he got his big break last season when the venerable C.J. Mosley went down with a severe toe injury in Week 2.
Sherwood stepped into the "Mike" position, made the on-field defensive calls and established himself as a vocal team leader. He made a team-high 158 total tackles, tied for third in the league. He also made 10 tackles for loss and two sacks, while missing only 13 tackles, per Next Gen Stats.
Once he got on the field, he never came off. Sherwood played a team-high 1,107 snaps, counting special teams.
On a team with big names such as Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson, the players voted for Sherwood as their team MVP.
Only 6-foot-2, 216 pounds, Sherwood isn't built to be a downhill linebacker. His game is about speed and sideline-to-sideline tackling ability, making him ideal in an attack-style defense.
ESPN's Rich Cimini contributed to this report.
