The Jets’ quarterback search doesn’t pause just because the 2026 season is around the corner. Aaron Glenn is trying to get his team pointed in the right direction, but Darren Mougey and the front office are still going to have one eye on college football, where the next franchise passer could be taking shape.
Week 1 gives New York a useful first look. While prospects like Ohio State’s Julian Sayin and South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers are expected to cruise against Ball State and Kent State, there are five other quarterbacks worth tracking because they’ll actually get a real test.
Arch Manning tops the list, and Texas opens against Texas State. Manning is widely viewed as the favorite to go No. 1 overall as the season gets underway, but the real question is whether his pocket accuracy has taken a meaningful step forward.
The buzz around his name is already there. Now he has to bring more steak and less sizzle than he has in the past.
Dante Moore is another big one for Jets fans, with Oregon facing Boise State. Moore may have already slipped past New York once, but he remains a polished, accurate passer who could still end up in the mix for the Jets. Boise State brings a defense that should ask more of him than the usual Week 1 blowout opponent.
CJ Carr will get his first major spotlight for Notre Dame against Wisconsin. His arm talent and precision from the pocket are the selling points, and those traits are exactly what will get NFL teams paying attention. The concern is the rest of the package: Carr doesn’t bring great athleticism, and his thin frame means he’ll have to prove he can overcome those limitations.
Darian Mensah, now at Miami, faces Stanford. The former Duke quarterback is known for efficiency and accuracy, but his arm strength is not his calling card, and he can get uncomfortable when he’s forced off his spot. With the Cardinal expected to be a tougher defensive challenge than they were in 2025, this should be a meaningful early test.
And then there’s Drew Mestemaker, the biggest wild card of the group, with Oklahoma State set to play Tulsa. Mestemaker went from being a high school backup to leading NCAA passing yards at North Texas, and now he’s trying to show that he and coach Eric Morris can bring that same success to Stillwater. Tulsa should be better this year, which gives Mougey a chance to see how much Mestemaker has really grown.
In Other News...
Jets Stars Are Already Fueling One Huge 2027 Dream
The Jets are already looking way down the road, and with the 2027 NFL Draft projected to be a strong one, their own future capital is a big reason why. New York is expected to have three first-round picks that year, giving the team a rare chance to reshape the roster in a major way if the board breaks right. For a franchise still trying to stack enough talent to matter in the AFC, that kind of draft flexibility can change the conversation fast.
One name that naturally fits the speculation is Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, a prospect drawing attention well before that draft gets close. Geno Smith and Garrett Wilson have already praised the young receiver, only adding to the buzz around what he could become by the time the Jets are actually on the clock. Whether New York uses that draft haul to chase a premier receiver, address other needs, or simply take the best players available, the early chatter makes clear how much upside is attached to 2027 already. [Read more 🡒]
Pete Carroll Just Reopened The Geno Smith Debate For Jets Fans
Pete Carrolls latest comments have a way of tugging Jets fans right back into an old conversation they thought was long settled. The veteran coach, who knows Geno Smith from their Seahawks years and now oversees him again with the Raiders, said he still sees a quarterback who can bounce back, even after a rough 2025 season in Las Vegas. His explanation leaned less on Smiths ability and more on the support around him, from the quality of the roster to the coaching structure.
For Jets followers, the timing makes the remark land with extra force, because Smiths name still carries that familiar what-if energy in New York. Carrolls view is that the talent has not gone anywhere and that the right environment could help Smith perform at a high level again, which is exactly the kind of reassurance that keeps a debate alive rather than ending it. Even if the Jets are not in the middle of the discussion now, a comment like this is enough to remind everyone how much the situation has always been about context as much as quarterback play. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Face An Unsettling Week 1 Kicker Decision
The Jets head into Week 1 with an unusual special-teams question hanging over the roster, after bringing in Blake Grupe to compete following Jason Sanders rough preseason. It is not the kind of issue teams usually want lingering on the first weekend of the season, but New York has made it clear it is still sorting through options while trying to settle on a reliable leg.
Among the kickers the Jets have recently brought in for workouts is Justin Tucker, a name that once would have hardly needed an introduction. Tucker has not played in the 2025 season after a difficult 2024 and allegations of inappropriate behavior, and his recent play has declined enough that no other team has handed him a roster spot this year. For the Jets, the situation underscores just how unsettled the position remains as the opener approaches. [Read more 🡒]