Jetѕ Prepаrіng $6 Mіllіon Bаckup Plаn After Stunnіng Jаmіen Sһerwood Newѕ

If the New York Jets aren’t able to retain linebacker Jamien Sherwood, they have a backup plan at the ready.

ESPN’s Rich Cimini revealed that San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw is a guy to keep an eye on ahead of free agency.

“Again it all hinges on Sherwood. If [the Jets] can keep him then they are fine [at linebacker]. If not I would look to a guy like Dre Greenlaw in San Francisco. Jets DC Steve Wilks of course was the DC in San Francisco in 2023. Greenlaw has had some injury issues. Of course he had that really unfortunate issue at the Super Bowl with the Achilles a couple of years ago. He is a little undersized but I think a good enough scheme fit, shows a lot of upside, [but] had to battle some injuries last year,” Cimini explained on the “Flight Deck” podcast.

If the #Jets are unable to retain Jamien Sherwood, ESPN’s Rich Cimini said keep an eye on #49ers LB Dre Greenlaw. 👀

Jets DC Steve Wilks crossed over with Greenlaw in 2023 when he was coaching Sam Francisco.

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Greenlaw, 27, is estimated to sign a one-year deal for $6 million with $5 million of that guaranteed according to Pro Football Focus’ projections.

“Greenlaw worked his way back from an Achilles injury he suffered in the Super Bowl last February but was shut down after only 34 snaps in 2024. He will still likely see a lot of interest in free agency. He excels in coverage, having earned PFF coverage grades of 82.6 and 79.5 over the past two seasons,” PFF wrote in his free agency profile.

Sherwood’s Blistering Market Could Force Jets to Pivot

Cimini said that Sherwood is the Jets’ top priority among their in-house free agents. However his market is exploding.

Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic revealed that his price range could be in the $8 million to $10 million per year range. NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero took it a step further saying Sherwood could see $12 million per year.

Pelissero included that nugget in an article where he highlighted five players who could “make more money than you think” in free agency this offseason.

If this market continues to explode, Sherwood may put himself outside of the Jets’ price range.

Greenlaw Would Be a Low Risk Versus High Reward Kind of Move

The former Arkansas product entered the league as the No. 148 overall pick in the fifth round. During his six year run in the NFL to date, Greenlaw has appeared in 64 games and has made 56 starts.

Due to a variety of injury issues during his career, the veteran linebacker has been forced to miss 36 total games.

When healthy Greenlaw has been a dominating force in the league. Greenlaw in his pro career has racked up over 455 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, three interceptions, 14 pass deflections, and has 18 tackles for loss.

The Jets could bring him in to fill a void for 2025. If he balls out, Greenlaw can cash in on the open market in 2026 or re-sign with the Jets for the foreseeable future. If it doesn’t work out, the financial investment by the Jets wasn’t that large anyway.