Dante Moore’s season-ending concussion has thrown another wrench into the Jets’ draft plans, and the timing could hardly be worse for a team looking for its next quarterback.
The Oregon passer, once viewed as a possible No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, is now facing a much murkier path. Head coach Dan Lanning confirmed Moore will miss the rest of the 2026 season because of the injury, leaving quarterback-needy teams wondering whether he’ll even stay in first-round territory.
That is a brutal turn for a player whose return to Oregon was supposed to lead to a championship run. Instead, the move has gone off the rails.
Moore had already lost valuable time after suffering a concussion, and now the damage is bigger than missed games. For Jets fans who had their eye on him, the blow lands especially hard nearly a year after he passed on what would have been a No. 2 overall selection had he declared.
Moore’s 2025 numbers still explain why teams were so interested. He completed 72% of his passes, throwing for 3,565 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions for an Oregon team that reached the College Football Playoff before losing to Indiana. He opened this season with a close win over Boise State and a loss to Oklahoma State, but he personally posted nine touchdown passes and no interceptions in those games.
The appeal was always obvious. NFL teams liked his accuracy from the pocket, his arm talent, and his willingness to attack downfield. At the same time, he still had to prove he could make more plays off-script and avoid giving away his intentions with the ball as often as he had before.
The injury itself only deepens the frustration. The play that knocked Moore out was described as a dirty hit that deserved a suspension, and it may have cost him millions along with a chance to be someone’s quarterback of the future. The first round is no longer a lock.
And the quarterback board is tightening around him. Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker and Notre Dame’s CJ Carr are starting to look like the top two names in the class, while Moore has already been pushed into a group with Miami’s Darian Mensah and Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss. This setback could send him even further down.
Had he gone pro, Moore could have landed a four-year contract worth well over $50 million with the Jets. Even without playing yet this year, he would have been in position to be labeled their quarterback of the future, much like Fernando Mendoza has not started yet for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Instead, Moore is staring at the possibility of sliding out of the first round entirely, with Oregon having fallen short of a national championship in the process. Teams will still be interested, but his decision to return to school now looks like a costly detour, and other quarterbacks may study this as the cautionary tale it has become.
In Other News...
Jets Trade Deadline Could Force Tough Calls Across This Roster
With the Nov. 10 trade deadline approaching, the Jets could be forced into some uncomfortable roster math as they sort through veterans on expiring deals and players who no longer look essential to the plan. Harrison Phillips, Nahshon Wright, Andre Cisco, Brandon Stephens and Jamien Sherwood are among the names that could draw interest if New York decides to keep recasting parts of the roster, and the front office has already shown it is willing to consider moves that fit both the short and long term.
The more interesting wrinkle is how the Jets weigh players whose value has shifted with the coaching change and the way the defense is being used. Will McDonald IV is part of that conversation because his place in the rotation has changed under Aaron Glenn, which leaves New York with another decision point on a roster that may need to be reshaped again before the deadline arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Jets May Have Just Dodged A Major Coaching Headache
When the Jets finalized their defensive staff, the move to hire Brian Duker as defensive coordinator with Aaron Glenn calling plays looked like a simple organizational choice. It also turned out to be a cleaner one. New York had originally explored Wink Martindale for the job, and that possibility would have carried plenty of baggage given Martindales track record around the league and the hard-edged reputation that has followed him.
Martindale made clear he would not have been a quiet addition, recently going after the Jets and owner Woody Johnson on a podcast. He said the team would have won more games with a different defensive coordinator and blasted the franchise as a losing organization, a kind of public criticism that can linger long after the interview ends. For a Jets staff trying to establish a new tone, avoiding that kind of built-in headache may have been as important as any Xs-and-Os fit. [Read more 🡒]
Garrett Wilson Trade Chatter Says Everything About The Jets Right Now
Any buzz about Garrett Wilson being available has less to do with actual Jets plans than with the kind of speculation that tends to follow a frustrated team. New York has plenty of draft capital and, at least on paper, no obvious reason to move its best player, which is why the chatter around Wilson feels more like an internet echo than a real front-office direction.
The wider point is how quickly every rough patch gets turned into a bigger story around this roster. Wilson and Geno Smith have already pushed back on the idea that there was any sideline issue between them, a reminder that not every sideline glance or heated moment needs to become a franchise-defining subplot. Still, with the Jets, even the flimsiest rumor can linger long enough to say something about the mood around the team. [Read more 🡒]