2026 NFL offseason preview: New York Jets have a ton of work to do — and plenty of resources including the No. 2 pick

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The NFL offseason has begun, and Yahoo Sports is previewing the coming months for all 32 teams, from free agency through the draft and more.

New York Jets

2025 season record: 3-14 (u 5.5 wins), fourth in AFC East, missed playoffs, 32nd in DVOA

Overview

Year 1 under Aaron Glenn did not bring an immediate turnaround in New York. But the Jets have confidence that Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey are the right people to lead a rebuild. The Jets spent much of the 2025 season looking ahead to what comes next. At the trade deadline, the Jets dealt Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, two key defensive players who were among the best in the league under former head coach Robert Saleh. Those trades netted the Jets an extra first-round draft pick this season and two in 2027.

The Jets are hoping that this timeline will mirror the Detroit Lions, where Glenn came from as defensive coordinator. Detroit went 3-13-1 in Dan Campbell’s first season before a 9-8 record in Year 2. Though unlike the Lions, the Jets will need to find a quarterback. Justin Fields was signed to potentially be that player, but he lasted until only Week 11 before he was replaced.

With a ton of draft capital and salary cap space, 2025 could be seen as more of a Year 0 for the Jets and this regime.

Cap/cuts outlook

According to Over The Cap, the Jets have a little over $60 million in effective salary cap space, the fifth-highest figure in the league. Based on the rookie deals and recent extensions, the Jets aren’t going to be doing much with the active roster. Cutting DT Harrison Phillips would save $7.5 million, but that’s the only clean cut. The Jets are also likely to move on from Justin Fields as a post-June 1 cut. That would save $10 million in 2026, with a $9 million cap hit in 2027 that would already be in place because of the void year in the contract. The Jets aren’t loaded with talent, but they have some young players they’ve already invested in and a clean cap to shape the roster how they’d like this offseason.

Key pending free agents

RB Breece Hall
OL Alijah Vera-Tucker
S Andre Cisco
LB Quincy Williams
DE Micheal Clemons

The Jets could have traded Hall at the deadline, but didn’t — to the running back’s displeasure. A franchise tag is the likely outcome there. Vera-Tucker was a promising guard but he has played only two full seasons and missed all of 2025 with a triceps injury suffered in early September. Williams fell out of favor with the coaching staff midway through the season but still played 70% of the defensive snaps. The 2023 All-Pro admitted he was not a great scheme fit with the defense under Aaron Glenn and former defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.

Positional needs

Quarterback
Wide receiver
Any defensive player

The Justin Fields experiment lasted only half a season before the plug was pulled, despite the two years of guaranteed money handed out in his contract last offseason. By EPA per play, Fields was the best of the trio that included Tyrod Taylor and Brady Cook, but that ranked 33rd out of 45 quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts.

Garrett Wilson last played in Week 10 and led the Jets in receiving yards for the season at 395. AD Mitchell had some big plays after he came over in the Sauce Gardner trade and could serve as a secondary deep threat, but his lack of development in more detailed aspects of the position is a reason why he fell out of the rotation in Indianapolis.

The Jets ranked 31st in pressure rate and did not have an interception on the season. That’s not exactly what this team was expecting under Aaron Glenn. All three levels of the defense could be improved with additions.

2026 NFL Draft picks

1st round, pick No. 2
1st round (IND), pick No. 16
2nd round
2nd round (DAL)
4th round
5th round (projected compensatory)
5th round (projected compensatory)
6th round (BAL)
6th round (BUF)
6th round (DEN)
7th round (TEN)
7th round (BUF)

Good draft fit

Dante Moore, QB, Oregon

Assuming the Raiders select Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall, the Jets could still be confident they finally have their QB of the future in Moore, who brings a calm, intelligent presence to the position with high-end traits to stabilize the franchise.

What could move the fantasy needle in 2026?

Quarterback plan

No more half measures. We all knew that, at best, the Justin Fields acquisition would be just that and it turned out to be much worse. This offseason, the Jets need to make sure the starting quarterback is a serious option or nothing else matters. Garrett Wilson led this team with 395 receiving yards and he hasn’t caught a pass since Oct. 13. That is so beyond unserious. If this team determines it is so far away it can’t add a young passer to the mix in the 2026 NFL Draft, I could understand it from a team-building standpoint, but it’s a tough pill to swallow for a passing game that is well-designed and has a No. 1 wideout in place. — Matt Harmon

Betting nugget

The Jets had one of the NFL’s lowest win totals at 5.5 … and didn’t come close to hitting the over. New York went 3-14 and lost its last five games by at least 23 points each. — Ben Fawkes

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