NASHVILLE – Eighteen months ago, in a game against the Titans, edge rusher Jermaine Johnson was carted off the field at Nissan Stadium with a torn Achilles tendon.
A member of the New York Jets at the time, Johnson admits he shed some tears on the field.
In a FaceTime interview from the locker room, Johnson said his family told him to look at his chest, and his "Have Faith" tattoo on it, for inspiration.
Last week, Johnson was back in Nashville as he officially joined the team following a trade.
When he pondered his fresh start, he couldn't help but think of his path to get here.
"It's hard for me to understate how amazing God is," Johnson said with a smile. "I got hurt here two years ago, and while it didn't derail my career by any stretch, it was definitely a big hurdle. But God works in mysterious ways, and I believe things happen for you, not to you. I know it's corny to say, but that's kind of how I looked at it.
"It's a blessing to come back here, and to take my career back into my hands and take myself where I want to go. It is all beautiful, and it all really did come full circle in so many ways for me, to end up a Tennessee Titan."
Johnson, traded to from the Jets to the Titans in exchange for defensive lineman T'Vondre Sweat, believes he's in the perfect spot in Tennessee.
With the Titans, he'll be reunited with head coach Robert Saleh, defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton, assistant d-line coach Tanzel Smart, along with former teammates John Franklin-Myers and Solomon Thomas.
He'll be playing in a system, and for coaches and teammates, he knows well.
And, he'll be playing in a city he said he'd already been looking to move to.
"I can't even put it into words, to be honest," Johnson said. "I was praying for something very similar to this, and it all happened. I couldn't ask for anything better. It's a defense that I fell in love with. Obviously, I am going to study the playbook and all that, but I know it like the back of my hand. How many guys do you know where they join the team and they know the plays already, and they know the players, the head coach, the position coach? Go to a team that's in a town and a city they have been looking to move to anyway?
"It all just worked out perfectly and praise to God for that. Praise to God for everything about this, because it really is a perfect, perfect situation. I am very blessed to be a part of this."
Johnson, the 26th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, was a Pro Bowl performer with the Jets in 2023, when he posted a career-high 7.5 sacks and 55 tackles while starting all 17 games. Johnson's 2024 season ended at Nissan Stadium on that September 15 day when he tore an Achilles in Week 2.
Johnson had three sacks in 2025, along with 43 tackles and six quarterback hits.
Johnson said Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons was the first guy to reach out to him after news of the trade surfaced last month, making them teammates.
"I can't wait to suit up next to him," Johnson said of Simmons.
He said former Titans receiver DeAndre Hopkins put him in touch with some of the connections he made in the city, including a real estate agent. He's already been looking for his new home.
Johnson said he loves the vibe in the city, and on the team.
And yes, he loves country music.
"I don't plan on ever leaving," Johnson said before naming Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, Kameron Marlowe, Bailey Zimmerman, Ella Langley, and Morgan Wallen as some of the artists on his playlist.
Johnson, of course, is here to play football.
He showed his resiliency growing up while going from Independence Community College (where he appeared on Netflix's Last Chance U) to Georgia to Florida State.
In 47 games over four seasons with the Jets, Johnson has tallied 131 tackles, 13 sacks, 27 quarterback hits and 20 tackles for a loss. He wants to make an impact in Tennessee, with familiar faces around him.
He can hardly wait to get started.
"It doesn't even feel like new, to be honest," Johnson said. "Obviously the place is new, and the scenery is new. But football is football at the end of the day. I am back with a ton of familiar faces, back in a system that I know very well and have excelled at. If I am worried, the only thing I am worried about is all the barbeque I am going to be eating."
