linebacker, earned his first shot to play frequently for the New York Jets defense during the 2024 season. Sherwood reacted by leading the NFL with 98 solo tackles, and the Jets did not let the former Auburn safety walk away in free agency.
Sherwood was set to become an unrestricted free agent at 3 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, but the Jets preempted that with a three-year, $45 million contract deal that includes $30 million in guaranteed money, SportsNet New York, FOX Sports, and ESPN reported on Sunday.
New York selected Sherwood in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft with the idea of moving him to linebacker. Sherwood spent his first three seasons as a protégé of Pro Bowler C.J. Mosley.
Sherwood only played five games as a rookie due to an injury, but he appeared in every game in 2022 and 2023, totaling 219 defensive snaps and 729 special-teams plays.
Mosley played only four games and 110 defensive snaps in 2024 because to injury.
Sherwood played 1,065 defensive snaps. He made 158 total tackles and received the Jets’ Curtis Martin Award as the team’s Most Valuable Player in 2024.
Sherwood eclipsed Miami Dolphins linebacker Karlos Dansby’s 134 tackles in one season in 2012, the most by a former Auburn player. (Tackles have been recorded across the league since 1987.)
The agreement between Sherwood and the Jets on an extension takes another of the top linebackers off the free-agent market this week. The Kansas City Chiefs’ Nick Bolton, Philadelphia Eagles’ Zack Baun, Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Lavonte David, Seattle Seahawks’ Ernest Jones, and Washington Commanders’ Bobby Wagner have all re-signed with their respective teams.
