Meeting with reporters at 1 Jets Drive on Monday, days before the 2025 NFL Draft, general manager Darren Mougey said that the team will exercise the fifth-year option on three 2022 first-round draft picks -- cornerback Sauce Gardner, wide receiver Garrett Wilson and edge Jermaine Johnson -- critical components in the Green & White's young core.
"Yeah, we have time to make that decision, but I do anticipate exercising those fifth-year options on those players," said Mougey, who joined the Jets along with new head coach Aaron Glenn in January.
In the Jets' productive 2022 draft, Gardner was selected with the No. 4 overall pick, Wilson at No. 10 and Johnson at No. 26.
Gardner and Wilson are also eligible for long-term contract extensions, though Mougey said those discussions are an ongoing process.
"I'm going to get through the draft, but in terms of contracts and extensions on any players, I'll always keep that in-house, and we'll keep those dealings in those discussions in-house," he said.
According to NBCSports.com, Gardner would receive a guaranteed base salary of $20.1 million in 2026, Wilson a guaranteed $16.8 million (in the event they each don't receive new contracts), and Johnson a guaranteed $13.4 million.
Drafted out of Cincinnati, Gardner quickly flashed as one of the NFL's top cornerbacks. He was named Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2022 and was selected as a first-team All-Pro in each of his first two seasons. He's recorded 40 PDs and 181 tackles in 48 career games. Gardner will pair with free agent signee Brandon Stephens (6-1, 215) on the outside next season.
"He's a big, physical corner that can run, and he gives us a chance to have two big guys on the edge with him and Sauce to be disruptive and press coverage," Glenn, a former top CB said at the recent NFL Annual League Meeting. "The one thing he has to work on is creating turnovers. We will work on that. We have two big guys on the edges and that creates a lot of issues for an offense, so we want to utilize that as much as possible."
Wilson, a star at Ohio State, was the Jets' leader in receptions and receiving yards in the past three years while playing with several different quarterbacks. He was named Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2022, and contributed a career-high 101 receptions, 1,104 receiving yards, and 7 touchdowns in the 2024 season.
In a draft day trade with Tennessee, the Jets moved back into the first round to select Johnson out of Florida State. He came into his own in the 2023 season when he logged 7.5 sacks and was named as a Pro Bowl alternate. His 2024 season was cut short when he sustained a torn Achilles tendon in Week 2 game against the Titans.
"Jermaine's been doing a really good job," Glenn said of Johnson at the NFL Annual League Meeting in Palm Beach, FL. "I've known him since he came out of college. We actually coached him in the Senior Bowl. I know exactly what he brings to the table. He is working his (butt) off to get to where he needs to be, and that player has a lot of confidence in who he is. We have a lot of confidence in him, so we're looking forward to him getting back on the field."
