Jets' Jermaine Johnson expected to be healthy in time to face Aaron Rodgers and Steelers in Week 1
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Jermaine Johnson's long-awaited comeback from a torn Achilles tendon is on track to happen the same day a former New York Jets teammate makes what's sure to be a much-hyped return.
Week 1 at MetLife Stadium — against Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
'We actually were just texting last night,' a smiling Johnson said of Rodgers on Tuesday after the first practice of the Jets' three-day mandatory minicamp. 'It's funny. But obviously, I'm excited, he's excited.'
Johnson, a promising edge rusher who was coming off his first Pro Bowl selection, tore his right Achilles tendon in Week 2 last year and missed the rest of the season. Coach Aaron Glenn said the 2022 first-round draft pick should be 'close' to being ready for training camp in July and could start on the physically unable to perform list, 'but he'll be ready for the season.'
During the early days of his recovery, Johnson was comforted by Rodgers, who made a comeback of his own last season after tearing his left Achilles tendon four snaps into his debut with the Jets in 2023. Rodgers was released by New York in the offseason, signed last week with Pittsburgh and made his practice debut with the Steelers on Tuesday.
'It was a pleasure having Aaron around and stuff like that and I wish him the best,' Johnson said. "But when I get between those lines, there's no friends. And I think he knows that and he feels the same, so I'm excited.
'It's just another game, but for me, it's going to be my first game back and there's a lot of emotions. And when my emotions run high, I tend to play pretty well.'
Johnson declined to say what he and Rodgers texted about Monday night, but acknowledged the quarterback was instrumental in helping get his mind right as he prepared for the tough recovery and rehabilitation.
'First thing he said, he's like, 'You'll be good. You've got a 10-year-plus career here. You're all right. Chalk it up,'' Johnson recalled. 'It just kind of let me calm down a little bit and be able to gather myself and just take it on the chin and handle it and do a good job at it. So that's how I've attacked it. Aaron's been a tremendous help in so many ways.'
Despite the uncertainty over the injury, Glenn and the Jets showed their belief in Johnson as part of their defense moving forward when they picked up his fifth-year contract option, along with those of fellow 2022 first-rounders Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson.
'It was 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. So it means a lot to me. I'm always a man of my word and a man of honor, so to me, that's them lifting their end of the couch and now it's my turn to lift my end of the couch.'
Johnson had 2 1/2 sacks in 14 games as a rookie after being drafted 26th overall out of Florida before breaking out with 7 1/2 in 2023 while starting all 17 games for New York. He also had 16 quarterback hits, 11 tackles for loss and returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown.
Then came the setback last season, just as he was blossoming into a force on the Jets' defense.
'I cried a little bit like right after I got hurt,' Johnson said. 'But I'm just a man a faith, so God wanted me to walk through this and I took it like that and, you know, embodied this rehab. And I have full confidence I'm gonna come back without missing a beat.'
The Jets are banking on that, envisioning Johnson as a key part of their pass rush.
Glenn was a member of the Detroit Lions staff that coached at the Senior Bowl in 2022, and Johnson left a lasting impression on him.
'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,' Glenn said. "Listen, you don't get a lot of guys that have the athleticism as he does but still be strong and powerful to be able to hold against the run. So I'm excited to see that player get out there in training camp and going into the first game.
'So he's going to be a huge part of what we're doing. He knows that. But again, he understands what he's got to get better at, too.'
___
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Can Lionel Messi and Inter Miami really spring a surprise at the Club World Cup?
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, third from left, jokes with his teammates during a training session Friday, June 13, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. in preparation for a Club World Cup soccer match Saturday. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano, second from left, greets forward Lionel Messi, left, during a training session Friday, June 13, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. in preparation for a Club World Cup soccer match Saturday. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, third from left, jokes with his teammates during a training session Friday, June 13, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. in preparation for a Club World Cup soccer match Saturday. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano, second from left, greets forward Lionel Messi, left, during a training session Friday, June 13, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. in preparation for a Club World Cup soccer match Saturday. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) MIAMI (AP) — The Club World Cup will take Inter Miami from start-up to the global stage. Just five years after its MLS debut, the team co-owned by David Beckham and starring Lionel Messi will have the eyes of the world on it as it kicks off soccer's newest competition with the chance to be crowned world champion. Advertisement It's been a wild ride. 'This is a competition that will let us see where we are standing as a team,' coach Javier Mascherano said Friday as Miami enters the unknown in a competition featuring 32 of the best teams from around the globe. 'No one expects us to go far, but this should be an advantage. We don't have that in our national league when people expect Miami to be the winning team.' Up first for Miami at the Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday is Africa's most successful team — Al Ahly from Egypt, which has won a record 12 African championships. When it comes to winning heritage, there is no competition. Al Ahly, founded in 1907, has won a record 45 national league titles and 39 domestic cups — another record. It qualified for the Club World Cup three times over by winning three of the last four African Champions League titles. Advertisement Questions over Miami's place Miami, meanwhile, is taking part in the tournament by more questionable means. Its place was secured as a result of winning the MLS Supporters' Shield, a decision that was greeted with some surprise when announced by FIFA president Gianni Infantino last year, and looked even more curious when Miami failed to go on and lift the MLS Cup that season. A tournament devised to determine the best team in the world by largely bringing together continental champions managed to shoehorn in a team that hadn't even managed to win its own national title. No wonder questions were raised. Advertisement Miami, however, has made a habit of pulling off the unlikely and setting its sights high. 'Our club will have a global vision,' managing owner and CEO Jorge Mas said when Miami was launched in 2018 — at that time without a team or even a name. Led by Messi, a classy pedigree Miami has lived up to that billing — luring star players like former Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Higuain and eventually landing the biggest of them all two years ago when signing Messi. It is no surprise Infantino wanted the Argentine great in his inaugural tournament. The presence of the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner adds glamour and interest, and boosts the chances of FIFA selling out more stadiums like the 65,000-seat Hard Rock. Advertisement 'Everyone's talking about Messi 24/7 every day,' said former Italy striker Christian Vieri, who is an analyst for broadcaster DAZN. 'The whole world's going to be watching the first game and everyone wants to watch Messi, so it's just going be an incredible night.' Messi has not just raised the profile of Miami, but also MLS, with clips of his goals shared around the world on social media. 'The league was growing before, but ever since his arrival it's grown a lot faster. What he's done for this sport in the States is huge,' said Miami teammate Benjamin Cremaschi. With him in the team, Miami won the Leagues Cup in 2023 and the Supporters' Shield last year, setting an MLS record for the most points in a single season. Advertisement Optimism in South Florida And it is the presence of arguably the greatest player of all time, along with other star names like Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, that is driving belief Miami can make a statement over the next month. 'This club has had a short life, but this is the most important competition in the history of our club,' Mascherano said. 'It is only normal that a European team should win the competition, but these tournaments can spring a surprise. Why can we not be excited that we can spring a surprise?' Miami is likely to have to win its opening game to have a real chance of advancing beyond the first stage, with Brazilian giant Palmeiras and Portuguese side Porto also in Group A. Advertisement For Messi, the tournament presents him with the unusual experience of being an underdog. "The expectations I have are different to the ones I had when I played for other teams, but I'm eager and I look forward to competing against the best and doing well,' he said. Win or lose, Suarez believes Miami's rapid rise is just the beginning. 'We know how the club is improving now," Suarez said. 'The last two years we've had so many people here to see us. We keeping going up and the next two or three years Inter Miami will become bigger and bigger.' ___ James Robson is at ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
A frustrated McIlroy smashes a US Open tee marker but makes it to the weekend anyway
OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — First Rory McIlroy flung an iron down the 12th fairway. Then he used driver to demolish a tee marker on 17. He might not win the sportsmanship award at the U.S. Open, but he will get to play on the weekend. McIlroy overcame two rounds of disappointment by draining a 5-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole Friday to finish at 6-over par and guarantee himself a tee time at Oakmont this weekend. Advertisement Other than the approach shot he hit on 18 to save the week, or the 20-foot birdie he made on 15 after teeing off into the first cut, very little of his first 36 holes was pretty. McIlroy's weekend was still in limbo when he walked to the tee on the drivable par-4 17th hole, then blocked the shot into a greenside bunker. He used his left arm to smash the club down and shatter the nearby tee marker. He made par there. A few hours earlier on the par-5 12th — another decent birdie chance — McIlroy catapulted his iron down the fairway after pulling his second shot into the left rough. He made par there, too. The birdie at the end capped a round of 2-over 72. It did not mask the issues McIlroy has been facing since his driver was deemed non-conforming before the PGA Championship, sending him on a mad search for a reliable replacement. Advertisement In two rounds this week, McIlroy has hit 15 of 28 fairways, a stat that doesn't include all drivers but is indicative of where his tee game has gone since he won the Masters two months ago to complete the career Grand Slam. At Oakmont, with its ankle-high rough, two missed fairways over McIlroy's first three holes led to a pair of double-bogeys and forced him to play catch-up for the rest of the round — not to climb into contention, but simply to make the weekend. Next comes the search for motivation — something McIlroy conceded has been hard to find since his landmark victory at Augusta National. On the line this week is his string of six straight top-10 finishes at the U.S. Open, including a pair of runner-ups the last two years. He will start the third round nine shots off the lead. ___ AP golf: Eddie Pells, The Associated Press
Fox Sports
37 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
A year after playoff loss, Lexi Thompson back in contention at Meijer LPGA Classic
Associated Press BELMONT, Mich. (AP) — Lexi Thompson was back in contention going into the weekend in her beloved Meijer LPGA Classic, a year after a playoff loss at Blythefield County Club. Making her sixth start of the season in a part-time tour schedule, Thompson birdied three of the last four holes in breezy afternoon conditions for a 3-under 69 and a 7-under total. The 2015 winner at Blythefield was a stroke behind leaders Karis Davidson, Carlota Ciganda, Hye-Jin Choi and Celine Boutier. 'The golf course is one thing. It's always in great shape for us, which we always look forward to," Thompson said after the bogey-free round on the tree-lined layout. "But the amount of support that the tournament gets and also how Meijer gives back to the community as well. It's not just a tournament. It's much bigger than that.' The 30-year-old from Florida won the last of her 11 LPGA Tour titles in 2019. 'Some days are harder than others and we get frustrated, but at the end of the day it is just golf,' said Thompson, also set to play next week in the major KPMG Women's PGA Championship in Texas. Davidson, playing in the second-to-last group off the first tee, birdied the par-4 16th and par-5 18th for a 70. 'We just really hung in there today,' Davidson said. 'Was a bit of a grind, and nice to get the couple birdies at the end.' Ciganda and Choi each shot 67, and Boutier had a 68, all playing the morning session. "Coming here the week before a major obviously gives you confidence for playing next week," Ciganda said. 'The course is one that I like. I enjoy coming here, and it's always fun playing in Grand Rapids.' Thompson was joined at 7 under by Nanna Koerstz Madsen (68), Amanda Doherty (69), Bronte Law (69), Minjee Lee (70) and Sofia Garcia (71). Grace Kim, also part of the playoff last year that Lilia Vu won, was 6 under after a 73. She bogeyed two of her last three holes to fall out of a tie for the lead. Mi Hyang Lee, the first-round leader after a 64, had a 75 to drop to 5 under. With the major days away at PGA Frisco, only three of the top 10 in the world are at Blythefield. Haeran Ryu, at No. 5 the highest-ranked player in the field, followed an opening 69 with a 74 to make the cut on the number at 1 under. Vu missed the cut with rounds of 77 and 75. ___ AP golf:
