The Jets’ path to a franchise quarterback might not run through their own record at all. It could come down to how the Colts hold up.
New York doesn’t appear to have its long-term answer on the roster right now. Unless there’s real belief in fourth-round pick Cade Klubnik, the more likely route is taking a quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft.
And with three first-round picks in next April’s draft - the only team sitting on that kind of haul right now - the Jets are in position to make a move if the board breaks their way. Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams are the reason for that setup.
But the Jets probably aren’t banking on their own pick being the one that opens the door. Aaron Glenn needs to put together a competitive 2026 season if he wants to show he belongs and keep this job into 2027 and beyond. So the more realistic hope is that one of the Colts, Cowboys, or Packers ends up sliding far enough down the order to give New York a shot at the top of the quarterback class.
Indianapolis, in particular, has the kind of uncertainty that can turn a promising season into a draft windfall for someone else.
The Colts were 7-2 and sitting atop the AFC at the midpoint of the 2026 season before the Gardner trade. After that, they beat the Atlanta Falcons once, then dropped their next seven games and finished 8-9. Daniel Jones’ torn Achilles in Week 14 was a major reason the season unraveled.
Jones is now trending back in the right direction. He was fully cleared for training camp this week.
But not everything is lining up cleanly for Indianapolis. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Alec Pierce, Jones’ $114 million receiver, will begin the year on the PUP list.
No one is rooting for injuries. That part is obvious. But from the Jets’ perspective, a repeat of last season’s collapse in Indianapolis would be exactly the kind of break that changes their draft outlook.
And the Colts do have a brutal slate ahead, with games against the Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, and Philadelphia Eagles. If they can’t rediscover the form they showed early in 2025, and the injury issues start piling up again, New York could be staring at a top-five pick.
In Other News...
Breece Hall Just Reignited The Robert Saleh Debate For Jets Fans
Breece Halls comments offered a familiar kind of Jets fuel, the sort that instantly pulls fans back into the debate over Robert Salehs run as head coach. Saleh spent more than three seasons on the sideline before being let go, and his 20-36 record still hangs over the franchise as a reminder of how quickly things unraveled during that stretch. Hall, meanwhile, pointed to the current organizational stability and suggested the team feels better positioned now than it did then.
For Jets fans, that is where the conversation gets tricky, because it is hard to separate the promise of what comes next from the frustration of what came before. Halls optimism gives the front office and the locker room something to build on, but it also invites a fresh look at how much of the teams recent dysfunction was tied to coaching, how much was structural, and how much of the old argument still lingers even after Saleh is gone. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Receiver Battle Already Took An Early Camp Turn
The Jets second practice of preseason brought more than just another look at Aaron Glenns defense, which flashed the kind of speed and energy the staff has been talking about in non-padded drills. It also nudged the receiver competition in a new direction, because the group lost some early camp depth when Gee Scott and Jalen Walthall both went down with injuries.
Walthalls move to waived with an injury designation opened the door for the Jets to add Quincy Skinner, a former Vanderbilt wideout who had previously been with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent. For a position group that is already trying to sort out roles and carve out opportunity, every practice rep matters, and the personnel churn this early suggests the battle for spots may be changing almost as quickly as the lineup on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Glenn Sees A Different Reality Ahead For Garrett Wilson
The Jets have spent the offseason trying to make life easier for Garrett Wilson, and Aaron Glenn sees the lineup around him shifting in a way that could finally change the way defenses play the passing game. With Omar Cooper Jr. and Adonai Mitchell added at receiver, plus tight ends Mason Taylor and Kenyon Sadiq in the mix, New York has more bodies to stress coverage and create the kind of spacing Wilson has rarely enjoyed since arriving in 2022.
There is also the quarterback piece, which matters just as much for a pass-catcher with Wilsons profile. Geno Smith gives him the best chance he has had at stability and production since entering the league, and Glenns point is simple: if the new pieces command attention the way the Jets hope, Wilson should see more favorable matchups and more room to work in the middle of the field and down the sideline. [Read more 🡒]