The Jets don’t have to force a teardown at the trade deadline, even with the season already drifting toward another miss.
At 2-4 after six weeks, New York is once again staring at a familiar kind of year. There have been a few encouraging signs lately, but the big picture still points the same way: the postseason is probably out of reach unless everything breaks in a wildly unlikely direction. That puts the trade deadline in focus, and it raises the obvious question of whether the Jets should start shipping pieces out.
They already did plenty of that kind of work last year.
New York was involved in two major midseason moves in 2025, sending cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys in deals that brought back a strong package of first-round picks. The Colts deal gave the Jets two first-rounders, while the Cowboys deal added another piece to the haul, leaving New York with a deep stash of future draft capital.
That matters now because the Jets are already sitting on a loaded 2027 setup. They have three first-round picks in that draft, plus their own picks for next year.
Altogether, New York owns nine selections for 2027: three firsts, one pick from Rounds 2 to 5, and two sixth-rounders. That’s a lot for any team, especially when most clubs go into a draft with one first-rounder and call it a day.
The quality of those firsts makes the situation even more interesting. The Colts are having a rough season, and their pick could wind up in the top 10 or even higher.
The Cowboys are in a better spot than Indianapolis, but they still look like a team that could finish outside the playoff picture. Add those two to the Jets’ own first-rounder, and New York could be looking at three selections inside the top 11 in 2027.
That’s why a full-scale selloff doesn’t make much sense here. Trading veterans for more picks can absolutely work, but only if a team still keeps enough talent around to build something real.
The Jets also don’t have a long list of obvious trade chips. Will McDonald IV stands out as the most realistic candidate, but beyond him, the roster is full of players either too important to move or not valuable enough to bring back much.
Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall are not going anywhere, no matter how tempting the offer might be. AD Mitchell and Geno Smith are not the kind of names that move the market. For New York, the smarter move is to keep watching those players, see what they show this season, and wait for a better deal if one surfaces.
There is also the possibility of using those draft assets to go get a player rather than moving more pieces out. Even so, the cleanest path at the deadline may be the simplest one: stay put, keep the options open, and see whether the right offer comes along.
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Glenn addressed the matter at a press conference and did not confirm or deny the reported fine, while also offering support for the NFLs officials. Still, the situation lingers because it adds another layer to a season in which the Jets have been fighting to keep penalties from becoming part of their identity, and the leagues review of a heated moment from Week 5 only puts more attention on that problem. [Read more 🡒]