The Jets haven’t played a snap yet, but Aaron Glenn’s team is already drawing attention for the right reasons.
That’s a notable turn for a franchise that has spent plenty of recent seasons giving fans very little to feel good about. Glenn didn’t solve everything in his first year, and no one expected him to.
Year two, though, is where the pressure starts to really build. For now, the early read is that the public is buying into what the Jets are putting together.
On Monday, USA Today’s Nick Brinkerhoff slotted the Jets at No. 5 on his “vibe check” radar, a sign that the team is carrying real momentum and people are paying attention.
Brinkerhoff opened by pointing to the New Jersey Turnpike and its usual reputation, then made clear he thinks this season could be different. “The New Jersey Turnpike often has a noticeable stench to it and it's nothing you'll find in candle form,” he says in the piece.
“Of course, that is thanks to the factories and marshes, even if the Jets and Giants are major contributors most seasons. This year might be different though.”
He then pointed to some of the offseason additions that have helped fuel the optimism, including Geno Smith and Demario Davis. Brinkerhoff also noted that the Jets are set up with three first-round picks next offseason, which only adds to the buzz around the team.
“And with three first-round picks next offseason, hopes are high for Jets fans - maybe for good reason, too,” he adds.
In Other News...
Jets Backup QB Anxiety Just Took A Very Familiar Turn
The Jets backup quarterback situation has a way of circling back to familiar names, and Jimmy Garoppolo is suddenly one of them again. With Geno Smith entrenched as the starter, the conversation is less about changing the top of the depth chart than finding someone with enough experience to steady the room if needed, and Garoppolos rsum still carries weight because he has started games, reached two Super Bowls and spent years around high-pressure quarterback rooms.
What makes the fit interesting is the blend of reliability and risk. Garoppolo has long been viewed as a competent starter, but his career has also been shaped by injuries that have interrupted his rhythm and availability, which is exactly the kind of uncertainty teams try to avoid in a backup role. Even so, for a Jets team trying to sort out its quarterback insurance, his name is the sort that naturally comes up when the alternatives feel even thinner. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Camp Battle Could Already Be Shaping The 53-Man Roster
The backup quarterback battle in Jets camp is already taking shape, and it has quickly become one of the more practical roster questions of the summer. Veteran Bailey Zappe entered as the current No. 2 behind Geno Smith, but rookie Cade Klubnik is pushing hard for that spot, and the Jets have every reason to see what they have in a fourth-round pick they invested real draft capital in.
Klubnik is expected to make the 53-man roster, which gives him a built-in edge as the team sorts out the depth chart. Aaron Glenn has said the rookie will get every opportunity to win the job, while Zappe, who arrived on a futures contract, is the more movable piece if the competition breaks the other way and the Jets decide the safest path is to keep him around on the practice squad. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Fans May Be Watching The Wrong SEC Quarterback Again
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is starting to draw real NFL attention, and the conversation around him has quickly moved beyond simple curiosity. For Jets fans, that alone is enough to bring back familiar draft-season nerves, especially with another SEC passer entering the picture as a possible future answer at the most important position on the field.
The intrigue is obvious, but so are the questions that come with it. Chambliss has the kind of profile that can push a quarterback into the first-round conversation if the momentum keeps building, yet there is also real hesitation about how teams should value him so early. For the Jets, the idea is less about forcing a decision now and more about whether this is another quarterback worth tracking closely as the draft picture starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]