Yahoo Finance Trumaine Johnson, Jets' $72.5 million free-agent bust, will be cut by team
The New York Jets paid cornerback Trumaine Johnson $45 million guaranteed when he became a free agent.
They did not get a good return on investment.
Johnson, one of the big free agents in the 2018 class, failed spectacularly with the Jets. The New York Daily News reported the Jets have informed Johnson he’ll be cut. The New York Post confirmed the news.
The Jets have made plenty of free-agent mistakes, but Johnson will rank among the worst.
Trumaine Johnson was a free-agent whiff
Johnson was given the franchise tag twice by the Los Angeles Rams, which boosted his profile before he hit free agency. Then he cashed in.
The Jets gave him a $72.5 million deal over five years with $45 million guaranteed, according to Spotrac. The Jets will either take a $12 million dead cap hit this season or spread it out over 2020 and 2021 depending on the new collective-bargaining agreement, the Daily News said.
Things completely fell apart for Johnson in his second Jets season. He was benched. He played in only seven games. In Pro Football Focus’ grades, Johnson ranked 111th of 133 cornerbacks who had at least 200 snaps.
For all that money, the Jets got 17 subpar games out of their free-agent investment.
Johnson has never made a Pro Bowl
Johnson turned 30 on Jan. 1. He has never made a Pro Bowl but has played at a high level. He could still have some seasons left in his career.
But Johnson won’t be breaking the bank again. At best he’ll need to sign a short-term prove-it deal as he rebounds from a terrible two seasons in New York.
And the Jets, once again, have an embarrassing free agent bust on their books.
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