Jets’ 24-Year-Old Having Career Year Replacing $17.25 Million Leader

Heavy on Jets

A New York Jets phoenix has risen from the ashes.

Throughout this 2024 season, C.J. Mosley has dealt with an array of injury issues that have put him on the bench. Jamien Sherwood has stepped up to the plate and has taken the mantle.

Sherwood has 97 tackles through the first 10 games of the season which is fifth best in the NFL, per ESPN.

Sherwood Is One of the Most Underrated Upcoming Jets Free Agents

The former Auburn product entered the league in 2021 as the No. 146 overall pick in the fifth round. Throughout his NFL tenure, Sherwood has mostly served in a reserve role. However this season he was tasked with replacing Mosley, one of the key leaders on the team.

Sherwood has appeared in 10 games and has made nine starts in 2024. He has already set new career highs in every major category tackles (97), solo tackles (57), assisted tackles (40), sacks (two), and tackles for loss (seven). There are still seven games left in the season.

It took a long time to get him to this level. Sherwood played safety in college but the Jets immediately converted him to linebacker. He has proven to be one of their best midround pick developmental success stories.

Sherwood, 24, is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in 2025.

The Jets have a long list of big-name players who won’t have a contract after this year. Sherwood has slipped under the radar because of some of the other bigger names.

This year Sherwood is making $1.05 million in base salary. However, he is due for a pay bump after this career season. The other wildcard is a new regime taking over for the Jets in 2025. That will mean an entirely new defensive coaching staff taking over putting Sherwood’s future with the team in jeopardy.

Mosley Is Dealing With a Very Serious Neck Injury

The most recent injury problem that Mosley is dealing with is “a herniated disk in his neck that will sideline him for a fourth straight game,” according to Dennis Waszak Jr of the Associated Press.

The freak injury occurred in pregame warmups ahead of the Week 8 matchup against the New England Patriots.

“I was getting ready to go to our positional drills to start that warmup and I just felt like a burn down the back of my neck,” Mosley recalled via Waszak. “Everything else just locked up after.”

Mosley hasn’t returned to the lineup since. Following the Jets’ Week 11 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, the team will have its bye week.

The team is hopeful that Mosley could return in Week 13 against the Seattle Seahawks, but that’s no guarantee.

Mosley would like to continue his football career whether that is this season or in 2025. He is under contract for next season after reworking his deal this past offseason.

If the team decided to move on after this season, it would cost them $16.4 million in dead cap. That makes it likely that Mosley will be back on the team next year regardless of what else happens.