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New York Jets Land The Face Of The Franchise Load Up On Elite Talent

Bonisiwe Shabane
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new york jets land the face of the franchise load up on elite talent

Ty Simpson has made just nine career starts, but he's helped carry Alabama into playoff position. Jacob Kupferman / Getty Images By Zack Rosenblatt, Dane Brugler and Nick Baumgardner When the New York Jets traded Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, arguably their two best players, they announced to the NFL world that this season was no longer a priority. The rest of 2025 is about the future. It’s hard to blame them.

The Jets were 1-7 at the trade deadline (2-7 now), and had acquired enough draft capital to completely overhaul the roster and infuse it with young, cost-controlled talent. Last week, head coach Aaron Glenn backtracked on his preseason statement that he wanted fans to be proud of the team at the end of this season. “I want this to be a team the fans are proud of, but I never said they were going to be proud of them right now,” Glenn said after the trades. “At some point, I want this to be a team the fans are proud of.” New York Jets general manager Darren Mougey will eventually take a swing at quarterback. While the Jets are resetting the culture and roster, they've signed Justin Fields to a two-year contract to be their bridge QB.

At some point, Mougey will attempt to draft a face-of-the-franchise signal caller. That's exactly what happens in Pro Football Network's latest three-round 2026 NFL mock draft. Equipped with the No. 2 overall selection, the Jets take Texas quarterback Arch Manning. In a shocking twist, QB Cade Klubnik went no. 1 overall.

"There’s a very real possibility that Arch Manning will not declare for the 2026 NFL Draft and instead return to Texas for his senior season," PFN wrote. "However, if that doesn’t happen, he has all the tools to be a top selection this year. "Manning has only started two college football games, but will officially take the helm for the Longhorns in 2025. From the small sample size he put on tape in 2024, it’s already clear he has the arm, athleticism, size, and overall skill set to be as good as any quarterback in the country. Manning could be considered the best player in this class with a good season at Texas this year." If Manning enters the draft, he'd be considered the current favorite for the top overall selection.

Manning is draft-eligible, but the general expectation is he'll remain in college beyond 2026. That was the route his uncles Peyton and Eli took. The New York Jets are projected to land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft, according to a way-too-early mock. The 2025 NFL draft wrapped up less than two weeks ago, but that hasn’t stopped the top draft analysts from cooking up early projections for 2026, despite no official draft order and uncertainty over... In his “way too early” 2026 mock draft, The Ringer’s Todd McShay presents a bold scenario for the New York Jets.

The veteran draft analyst projects New York to land the No. 1 overall pick and select LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. “I have my hesitations on the Jets’ ceiling with Justin Fields next year, but the floor is a whole hell of a lot higher than this projection by FanDuel. But that’s a different discussion for a different day,” McShay said. The first phase of NFL free agency is over, and now most teams are shifting their focus to the draft. The New York Jets will be one of the most interesting teams to watch come draft night.

The team is slated to have the No. 7 pick, and with plenty of needs, the team could go in several directions. Mike Band of NFL.com recently published a mock draft that features the Jets pulling off a trade. In this mock, Band has the Jets trading the No. 7 pick and a 2025 third-rounder to the Jacksonville Jaguars for the No. 5 pick.

With the No. 5 pick, the Jets then select elite two-way athlete Travis Hunter. Regarding the Jets trading up for Hunter, Band offered the following: It might be time for the New York Jets to zig after zagging at the quarterback position. On the NFL Stock Exchange Podcast, co-hosts Connor Rogers and Trevor Sikkema gave Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe to the Jets in the first round of their 2025 NFL mock draft. “This is where my Jets’ theory is quarterback,” Sikkema explained his thought process.

“Whether [Aaron] Rodgers comes back or not, I’m getting much more on the train of this should be a quarterback pick for the Jets [in the first round]. I don’t want to say no matter what but if you draft Jalen Milroe and if Rodgers comes back next year that is best best-case scenario actually. You give Milroe a year to sit.” Milroe, 21, is in the middle of his fourth season with the Alabama Crimson Tide. During his run in college, Milroe has thrown for 5,404 passing yards, he has 44 passing touchdowns to 15 interceptions, and has completed 65.6% of his passes. The New York Jets wasted little time bringing in their new starting quarterback.

The Jets have now reportedly brought in former Pittsburgh Steelers QB Justin Fields as they prepare for life after Aaron Rodgers. According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the Jets are signing Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract (h/t Bleacher Report): “The Jets are signing QB Justin Fields, per me and Tom Pelissero, as Gang Green gets a new starter. Fields says goodbye to Pittsburgh after 1 year,” Rapoport reported on Monday afternoon. “He gets a 2-year deal worth $40M with $30M guaranteed in a deal done by David Mulugheta of Athletes First.” Fields was one of the most sought after quarterbacks on the open market.

The Jets acted swiftly to make him their next leader under center. The signing comes at an opportune time, after New York decided to part ways with four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers this winter. The 26-year-old completed a career-high 65.8 percent of his passes in 2024. Along with that respectable completion rate came 1,106 passing yards with a 5-1 TD-INT ratio on the campaign. Fields did that across 10 games played, six of which he started last year. He also added five touchdowns rushing.

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