The New York Jets came into the 2025 season with a fresh start on paper - a new head coach in Aaron Glenn, a new quarterback in Justin Fields, and a renewed sense of optimism. But as Week 14 rolls around, the optimism has all but vanished. Sitting at 3-9 and firmly planted at the bottom of the AFC East, the Jets are once again staring down the barrel of another lost season.
This was supposed to be the year Fields stabilized the quarterback position, something that’s eluded the Jets for what feels like decades. Instead, the former first-rounder has struggled to find consistency and was recently benched in favor of veteran Tyrod Taylor.
Fields signed a two-year, $40 million deal in the offseason, but that investment hasn’t yielded the kind of return the Jets were hoping for. And now, the franchise appears to be heading back to the quarterback drawing board.
According to a recent mock draft from Patrick K. Flowers, the Jets could be preparing to make a franchise-altering move. The projection has New York trading up with the Tennessee Titans to land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft - a bold, aggressive swing for a team desperate to finally solve its quarterback riddle.
With that top pick, Flowers has the Jets selecting Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza - a name that’s quickly become one of the hottest in college football.
Mendoza has taken the college football world by storm in his first season with the Hoosiers. The numbers jump off the page: 2,758 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, and just five interceptions. He leads all FBS quarterbacks in touchdown passes and tops the Big Ten in yards per attempt - a stat that underscores just how efficient and explosive he’s been.
But it’s not just the stats. Mendoza looks the part of an NFL quarterback.
He’s got the arm talent to make every throw on the field, the accuracy to hit tight windows, and enough mobility to be a threat outside the pocket. With 440 career rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, he’s not a run-first QB, but he can make defenses pay when the play breaks down.
He’s also the current frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy and is gearing up for a massive Big Ten Championship Game showdown against Ohio State. If he shines on that stage, his stock could soar even higher - if that’s even possible at this point.
If the Jets were to pull the trigger on this trade and land Mendoza, he’d likely be penciled in as the Day 1 starter. Fields is under contract for 2026, but the Jets could move on from him after June 1 and free up around $10 million in cap space. That’s no small chunk of change, and it gives the front office some flexibility.
Of course, there’s also the option to keep Fields around as a veteran presence and insurance policy. Tyrod Taylor is set to hit free agency after the season, and having someone with starting experience behind a rookie like Mendoza could be a smart move, especially early in the season.
Now, giving up three first-round picks to move up six spots is a hefty price - no question about it. But if Mendoza turns out to be the real deal, it’s the kind of move that can change the trajectory of a franchise.
And let’s be honest: the Jets can’t afford to roll the dice on another short-term fix. The veteran route hasn’t worked - not with Aaron Rodgers, not with Justin Fields.
It’s time to take a big swing at a long-term solution.
The Jets have been chasing stability at quarterback for years. If they believe Mendoza is that guy, the one who can finally bring consistency, leadership, and playmaking to the most important position in football, then the cost might be steep - but the reward could be exactly what this franchise has been waiting for.