Trumaine Johnson's disappointing tenure as a New York Jet has come to an end.
The Jets will officially release Johnson on Wednesday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per sources informed of the situation.
Johnson arrived in New York as a high-priced free agent, but never lived up to the expectations, drawing the ire of two different head coaches in just two seasons. Johnson ended his first campaign as a healthy scratch in Week 17, benched by outgoing coach Todd Bowles for disciplinary reasons. The next season, Johnson was demoted from a starting role in Weeks 2 and 3 by new coach Adam Gase before regaining his job. That didn't last very long, though, as ankle injuries forced Johnson to injured reserve after just seven games.
Such was the tale of Johnson as a Jet: injuries and inconsistency. Once envisioned as a shutdown corner after six solid seasons with the Rams, Johnson struggled to stay healthy in New York. When he was able to play, he wasn't reliable. Johnson recorded five interceptions and seven passes defended in two seasons, including a pick-six in 2018, but he didn't play near the standard expected of him when he signed a five-year, $72.5 million deal in 2018.
Instead, the Jets will eat the $12 million dead cap number in order to get out of Johnson's contract, which would have accounted for $15 million of New York's 2020 cap space. New York will take the $3 million in net savings and move on from the failed signing made under a different front office headed by then-general manager Mike Maccagnan.
