Gang Green Nation
It seems like every year New York Jets fans are asked to debate the same question. That is, should they root for the team “tank” to improve their draft selections, or to win every game left on the schedule. And after shipping away both Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner at the trade deadline, the question remains as relevant as ever. For many NY Jets fans, and media, those moves indicated the team has given up on trying to be competitive this season.
Not so fast.
In the ensuing week, the Jets defeated the Cleveland Brown, and there was an instant split between most fans. Some were angered that the team “hurt” their draft stock, while others were excited to see the team continue to put up elevated performances despite clear hindrances.
So the question remains, should the Jets tank? Or, should they continue to try and win-out going forward?
For those who prefer the NY Jets tank the 2025 season away, there are some net positives – depending how you look at it.
The first is that high draft picks have high trade value. So far, we’ve seen general manager Darren Mougey put an emphasis on acquiring picks in the 2026 and 2027 NFL draft. Yet, if the Jets don’t see themselves ready to rely on a rookie quarterback in 2026, there’s a chance the team could look to trade back in the first round. One could look to last year as an easy example.
In last year’s draft, the Cleveland Browns traded with the Jacksonville Jaguars, moving on from their No. 2 overall selection. Cleveland also gave up a fourth and fifth-round selection in the 2025 draft. In return, they received Jacksonville’s No. 5 overall selection, a second-round pick, and a fourth-round pick. However, they also received a first-round pick for the following year’s draft. More important to note, is that the trade did not involve movement for a quarterback. That variable could increase the value of a draft pick exponentially, depending on the team.
The second potential positive is that when “tanking”, there’s opportunity to see what you have in your younger players. Now, this isn’t exclusive to just tanking. In fact, plenty of competitive teams do this, as well. Yet for losing teams, it’s easier to go down the depth chart and give a player a shot when there’s less on the line from a win-loss perspective. Sometimes, teams can find diamonds in the rough. Other times, the move may help them come to the realization the the team needs a complete overhaul.
While there are a few positives that could come with tanking, there are a lot more negatives.
The first, and probably most important, is that it’s not easy to turn an NFL team around with just one player. The NFL isn’t the NBA, and rosters are...
