2026 New York Jets Mock Off-Season

Fixing the New York Jets

Everyone's "fixing" the Jets, so I'm here to offer one possibility that would get the offense ready to compete immediately. There is so much that can be done with five first round picks over the next two years and over $100 million in cap space, even if they have nearly $89 million in dead + void cap for 2026.

Because they have so much dead cap and are still fourth in the NFL in projected cap space, the large contracts on this roster are nearly nonexistent. After Justin Fields, soon-to-be backup quarterback, the largest 2026 cap hit is Brandon Stephens at $14 million. With talented players on rookie contracts, now is the time to spend.

In this mock iteration, the primary goal is to get the offense as rookie-QB friendly as possible. I believe that the offense needs to be top priority, and then I will leave over $100 million in projected cap space for 2027 to buy a defense and any remaining needed pieces for the offense. The opportune window to compete is starting in a rookie-QB's second year, and Aaron Glenn will want to waste no time.

Below is a summary of all moves. Click the link HERE for a more detailed summary.

Step 1: Internal Free Agency

We prioritized the offensive line in internal free agency, maintaining continuity by re-signing Alijah Vera-Tucker and John Simpson to be our starting guards, and Max Mitchell to be our swing tackle. AVT has the added versatility of being able to play tackle if need be, which is one main reason that we are keeping eight offensive linemen on the active roster.

We also transition-tagged Breece Hall to keep him one more year. If the offense is humming, then we will have the means to sign him again next year to a longer-term deal.

In addition to re-signings, we extended Jermaine Johnson III to a 4yr - $100,000,000 deal with 50% of new money guaranteed over the next three years, along with his guaranteed fifth-year-option salary.

Step 2: External Free Agency

We prioritized offense, bringing in Jauan Jennings and David Njoku first and foremost. Njoku and Mason Taylor should be a good pairing. Both are able to play inline and off the LOS, and 12-personnel sets are becoming the new norm in the NFL.

We then went after some larger, impactful, versatile linebackers to fit the Jets' aggressive playstyle and desire to upsize across the board. Quay Walker and Leo Chenal both have distinct strengths and weakness, but are able to rush the passer effectively and play downhill.

Step 2: The NFL Draft

TRADE: We began by making a rather odd trade. This trade is what sets this scenario apart from what everyone else has been mocking over the last week. With Makai Lemon still on the board at pick 19, we made a trade with the Browns.

We are giving up what should be our latest of three first round picks next year, along with pick 46 this year, to get picks 19 and 71. There are also some day three exchanges to further balance the trade. This makes sense for the Browns because they already had one first round pick, could use some extra day three picks to account for their horrible cap situation, and acquire another first round pick for 2027 when Deshaun Watson is finally out of the building.

This makes sense for us because it jumpstarts our offense and puts our rookie quarterback in the best situation possible. Garrett Wilson as #1, Jauan Jennings as our big-bodied, blocking, contested catch archetype complements Wilson well as #2, and now Makai Lemon coming in to play slot and alternate in 2WR sets upgrades this offense tremendously from 2025.

Below are our draft selections:

Caleb Banks being available at pick 30 was surprising, as was Dominique Orange at pick 71, but the two may now be our starting defensive tackle duo as rookies. Despite seemingly redundant play styles, having both allows for a more diverse defensive scheme. Either can play the A-gaps in 3-4, and both can play 3-tech in 4-3. Though the primary focus was on the offense, these two defensive tackles, along with some day three fliers, should reset this defense in hopes of making up for at least a part of what we lost via trade in 2025.

Gennings Dunker was drafted at pick 35 to hopefully play at right guard, thus shifting AVT to left, and leaving John Simpson to be one of the more reliable backup interior players in the league. Dunker's teammate, Logan Jones, was then drafted as a great scheme fit and high-upside developmental center.

Defensive tackle wasn't the only position where we double-dipped. We drafted Michael Trigg and Tanner Koziol to backup Mason Taylor and David Njoku. We can roster four tight ends heading into the season pretty easily, and hopefully at least one will provide some early value while they continue to develop.

Upshot

Is this perfect? No. Is this what I would do as GM? Hard to say. It is just one potential route the Jets could take. While so many other directions are equally valid, here is the biggest strength and weakness of this roster.

Biggest Strength - Immediate rebuilding steps. Rookie quarterbacks simply don't win Super Bowls, and waiting on 2027 to get your guy just pushes the winning window back. The roster and cap situation are healthy now, and some good players already on this roster are going to demand a large cap percentage very soon. Get the quarterback now, whether Mendoza, Simpson, or Moore (whoever they believe in the most), put talent around him, and start winning games.

Biggest Weakness - Coverage. Leo Chenal, Quay Walker, and Jamien Sherwood aren't exactly known for their coverage prowess. The defensive backs are also exactly serviceable, but will not be the reason this team wins games. Safety remains a need with Kam Curl, Andre Cisco, and Malachi Moore as the only proven talents on the roster. Cornerback could also use an upgrade with Brandon Stephens, Azareye'h Thomas, and Jarvis Brownlee. Brownlee and Thomas are decent and could still become excellent, but are not turning any heads.

As long as the coaching staff can turn things around, this team is in a great spot to finally become a contender within the next couple of years. While Jets fans pray that their rookie will not become Zach Wilson 2.0, they are right to remain hopeful knowing that there is a clear and obvious path to become a contender once for the first time in over a decade.