Gang Green Nation
Going into the 2026 offseason there are many unknowns surrounding the Jets. One thing that isn’t an unknown is that the Jets will be starting a new quarterback Week 1 next year. Now there are various different options, but I’ll take a quick, basic look at the 8 options I feel are most likely and assess at a high-level the pros or cons of each. These options are listed in no order:
Option 1: The Jets draft a QB with their first pick without trading up
At the moment, this is likely the most popular option among Jets fans online, and for good reason. There are two quarterbacks who have consistently been mocked inside the top five for weeks now: Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore. Both prospects have their flaws which I won’t get into here, but from both a statistical and film standpoint, they would almost certainly be first-round picks in nearly any draft class.
The major caveat, however, is whether the Jets will actually be in position to select one of them. That hinges heavily on how the rest of the season plays out. It would be a major surprise if the Jets ultimately end up with the No. 1 overall pick. No. 2 remains very much in play if they lose out, but even that scenario isn’t guaranteed. A win against New Orleans this week alone pretty much shuts down the idea of them picking in the top 2. This very likely would only be possible if they lose out.
Because of that uncertainty, we’re led to the following option:
Option 2: The Jets draft a QB with their first pick with trading up
This is a much tougher sell. Let me start by saying I’m not completely opposed to the idea. Like it or not, if you hit on a true franchise quarterback, nothing else really matters. In that scenario, the trade-up is quickly forgotten because the payoff outweighs the cost.
That said, this is easily the riskiest path, and not because of anything I think about Mendoza or Moore as prospects. The real question I keep coming back to is this: is the Jets’ roster in a strong enough position to justify trading away premium draft capital? In my opinion, the answer is clearly no.
While I do think the long-term outlook of the offensive supporting cast is somewhat underrated (and could become legitimately solid with smart additions this offseason) the defense and overall depth of the roster still require significant work. It’s difficult to justify a team with this many holes sacrificing high-end picks to move up for an unknown commodity at quarterback.
Of course, everything comes down to price. There will always be a point where the cost aligns with the potential reward. But speaking broadly, this option carries too much risk for my taste.
Which brings us to a third way of addressing the position in the draft:
Option 3: The Jets draft a QB later in the draft
Let me preface...
