Jamian Sherwood is a rare exception on the Jets' roster.
This is the type of exception where it is beneficial to stay on the team rather than lose to the other team.
On a team full of underachievers, Sherwood, a former fifth-round pick, has surpassed most expectations and developed into an overachiever despite being short in the draft, becoming a valuable asset in the middle of the Jets' defense. He has grown into a great starter.
And on Friday, he was voted this year's team MVP by his teammates.
“For me, it was about showing everyone what I can do,” Sherwood said after Friday's practice. “A lot of people think I'm small or just think I'm not cut out for the job. I went there every week and showed it to the best of my ability. , and in the end, it looks bright to me going forward.”
Yes, an unheralded person like Sherwood was the perfect fit to be team MVP, which means Jets stars like Aaron Rodgers, Garrett Williams, Breece Hall, Davante Adams, Quinnen Williams, and Sauce Gardner. It can be seen as an accusation. They performed again this year.
Sure, most people would have hoped that any of these previous names would have been worthy winners, but the fact that none won shows how much they fell short of expectations. This is a troubling sign.
But that shouldn't diminish Sherwood's breakout season.
Although he was a backup this year, an injury to C.J. Mosley quickly made Sherwood the starter at inside linebacker, and he took advantage of the opportunity.
Sherwood, who played safety in college before switching to linebacker with the Jets, started 15 games this year and recorded an NFL-high 95 solo tackles.
He has 152 total tackles, the third-most in the league, with 10 of those tackles for a loss.
Pro Football Focus gives him an overall rating of 74.5, which ranks him tied for 13th among all linebackers in the league.
He never recorded more than 28 solo tackles, 46 total tackles, or three tackles for loss in any of the past three seasons.
However, this forced the Jets to make a difficult decision.
After Sunday's final game of the season against the Dolphins, Sherwood will soon become a free agent after four seasons with the team.
“It’s unbelievable,” Ulbrich said Friday of Sherwood. “For a guy who wasn't a starter going into the season, first of all, how he reacted to the adversity of losing C.J. and stepping into a very big position and then playing as well as he did. I'm surprised he did that. He never did that, but it's not surprising considering the way this guy works every day, not just in this building, but in any building in the NFL. You'd be hard-pressed to find a harder worker.
“This is a guy who went from being a late-round safety convert to being a legit linebacker in this league. I'm very excited about his future because he's planted a seed throughout the league as a player that everyone wants to have on their team.” He's excited. And he's going to get paid for it. He's entitled to every penny he's going to get.”
Beyond his production, Sherwood has emerged this year as a leader in a locker room that has been severely lacking in leadership.
He's not just one of the many people currently dragging down the Jets' culture, but the type of person who can help elevate the culture around them.
That's certainly being noticed by both his Jets teammates and potential suitors around the league.
“It means a lot to me to be recognized by my teammates, colleagues, future Hall of Famers, Pro Bowlers and All-Pros,” Sherwood said. “I feel like it wasn’t just my play on the field that helped me win this award, but the way I was in the locker room and among my teammates helped me win this award. I really feel like that's helped me as a person, always trying to find some kind of energy, some kind of enthusiasm.
However, there will be a price for the Jets to bring back Sherwood.
And we won't know what a new general manager or head coach will think of him until they see him up close and work with him.
Does Sherwood himself want to return to the Jets?
“There’s a lot,” Sherwood said. “This is where I started, so naturally I want to stay where I'm welcome. They took a chance on me. This organization drafted me. It means everything to me. Anything I can do to always give back is important to me. Whatever my friends do for me, I always want to do the same for them. I think so.”
