New York Jets head coach Adam Gase doesn’t expand much on his reason for benching cornerback Trumaine Johnson on Monday night.
The New York Jets have quickly fallen to 0-2 on the year. During the team’s 23-3 defeat against the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football, cornerback Trumaine Johnson didn’t start and barely played.
”We just decided not to play him,” head coach Adam Gase told reporters after Monday night’s game.
Johnson had a rough game against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, but this benching came as a surprise nonetheless. The cornerback signed a five-year, $72.5 million contract in 2018 and was supposed to be the team’s No. 1 corner for the foreseeable future.
Despite his monster deal, Gase and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams were comfortable keeping him on the sidelines for most of Monday’s game.
The cornerback is coming off a disappointing first season with the Jets. He had four interceptions last year, but he was hardly the shutdown corner the Jets believed they were signing.
For what it’s worth, Odell Beckham Jr. torched the Jets for 161 yards and a touchdown on six receptions Monday night.
"Of course I'm upset…but it's not about me, I'm supporting my guys out there today" – Trumaine Johnson on being benched pic.twitter.com/DTnORAOpD6
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) September 17, 2019
“I want to be here with my teammates,” Johnson said when asked about a potential trade. Of course, Johnson’s lucrative contract and poor play on the field make a trade highly unlikely.
The new regime of Gase and general manager Joe Douglas didn’t give Johnson his gigantic contract, but they are handcuffed by it nonetheless.
With the dynamic receiving corps the New England Patriots will bring to Foxboro, perhaps Johnson will have another shot to prove himself.
