NFL

Jets receive:
DT T’Vondre Sweat

Titans receive:
EDGE Jermaine Johnson

This transaction is an anomaly. Player-for-player trades don’t normally happen in the NFL, as draft picks are the nominal currency to get most deals done. Also, franchises have to absorb dead cap hits when moving players, which can give clubs pause before doing so. The Jets and Titans found a trade that made sense, however, and it’ll be processed when the new league year begins on March 11.

As expected with a deal involving two defensive players, this trade is mostly about scheme fit. New York needs a defensive tackle to clog the inside, which Sweat can more than do. Johnson, on the other hand, will reunite with Robert Saleh in Tennessee, giving the Titans a speed rusher on the outside.

With how the last two seasons have unfolded, it’s fair to say Sweat is the better player. It doesn’t stop there, either. Johnson will play 2026 on his fifth-year option, garnering a cap hit of $13.4 million. Conversely, Sweat is due only $1.7 million next season and is also under contract through 2027. The Jets, with this move, are getting younger, cheaper and arguably better, too.

Of course, Johnson, a 2022 first-round selection, has played up to that status — years ago. The Florida State product tallied 7.5 sacks in 2023, a year in which he also posted 55 tackles and an interception. That was his best season as a pro, and he’ll look to replicate it next season, his walk year.

Sweat, albeit in 12 games in 2025, has become a good starter. The 2024 second-round pick had some character concerns surrounding him in the pre-draft process, but he’s put those worries to rest. The Jets will be getting a stout 24-year-old nose tackle for at least the next two seasons.

NCAAB

Oregon State to fire head coach Wayne Tinkle

Tinkle won’t return next season, but he’s been asked by the school to finish this year. We’ll see if that happens.

Tinkle’s tenure with the Beavers peaked in 2021, when Oregon State raced to the Elite Eight as a No. 12 seed. The program has failed to carry that momentum to much success since, however. That’s not all on Tinkle, though, as this is a hard job.

With that said, Oregon State is making the right call. The Beavers are re-transitioning to the Pac-12, and it makes sense that leadership wants a new face of the program. That won’t be Tinkle.

This job will be attractive to some suitors, but it can’t and won’t be treated as a high-major opening. If the Beavers swing and miss with their upcoming hire, they’ll be staring down the basement of the conference.

MLB

Blue Jays sign SP Max Scherzer to one-year, $3 million contract

I was initially stunned to see this contract was for only $3 million. Alas, the pact is actually extremely incentive-laden, allowing Scherzer to make up to $13 million. Many of those incentives are highly attainable, too, as the baseline for the veteran to start earning them begins at just 65 innings pitched. Should Scherzer stay healthy, he may very well receive every possible penny of this deal.

Even still, that wouldn’t be a bad thing for Toronto. Scherzer struggled to a 5.19 ERA over 85 innings last season, but he turned it around in the postseason. Surely the Blue Jays are hoping that carries over to this year, and it’s fair to assume that it can happen, even given Scherzer’s age (41).

Toronto already has a fairly deep rotation, so it’s possible Scherzer makes that group six deep. Every arm matters, especially with the Blue Jays trying to avenge last season’s defeat in Game 7 of the World Series.