The Jets opened their season with a win in Tennessee, but that was only part of the fun for New York on Sunday.
By the time the day was over, the Jets had stacked up four victories in total. Along with their 23-10 win over the Titans, they also got help from the Ravens, Vikings, and Giants - all of whom beat teams connected to New York’s future draft capital.
That’s because the Jets are sitting on a pair of major 2027 draft assets. They own Indianapolis’ first-round pick through the Sauce Gardner trade, and they also control the better of the two first-round picks between Green Bay and Dallas thanks to the Quinnen Williams deal.
The chain reaction got even more interesting after Dallas landed Green Bay’s 2027 first-rounder in the Micah Parsons trade, then later agreed to send either its own 2027 first-round pick or the Packers’ pick to the Jets in the Williams trade, depending on which one ends up higher.
So when Indianapolis, Green Bay, and Dallas all lost on opening Sunday, it created a weird but very real win for New York. In a snapshot that probably looked surreal even to Jets fans, the team was tied for first in the AFC East and, technically, sitting on two top-five picks in the 2027 NFL draft.
Of course, it’s way too early to treat that draft picture as anything close to settled. There are 16 games left, and plenty can change before the season turns into anything resembling a final order.
Still, the early shape of the thing is hard to ignore. Indianapolis looks like the most volatile of the bunch, with post-Achilles tear Daniel Jones at quarterback and a defense that raises plenty of questions. Dallas probably won’t tumble into the league’s basement, but after back-to-back seven-win seasons, the 0-1 start and division loss already leave them with plenty to answer for.
Green Bay may be the toughest of the three to knock off course. Matt LaFleur has finished above .500 in six of his seven seasons, which gives the Packers the clearest path to staying afloat. Even so, the Jets will get a chance next Sunday to push them toward an 0-2 start when Green Bay comes to MetLife Stadium.
In Other News...
Jets Receiver Depth Suddenly Looks Like A Real Week 2 Problem
Omar Cooper Jr.s season opener ended with more than just the usual rookie turbulence. The Jets wide receiver was forced out with a high ankle sprain, and the next round of testing will determine just how serious the injury is and how long he might be sidelined. For a team already trying to settle its passing-game depth early in the year, the timing could hardly be worse.
The injury leaves New York with only four healthy receivers on the active roster, which immediately puts the position under a brighter spotlight heading into Week 2. The Jets do have two wideouts on the practice squad, but the situation has already opened the door to roster maneuvering and the possibility of adding a veteran free agent if the team decides it needs more help on the perimeter. [Read more 🡒]
Frank Reich Gave Jets Fans A Week 1 Debate They Wanted
Frank Reichs first game steering the Jets offense gave the fan base plenty to chew on, and not just because the numbers looked clean on the final sheet. Even with rookie Omar Cooper Jr. going down early, the unit kept moving behind Geno Smith, piling up 367 yards and stringing together five scoring drives while Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell each found ways to shape the night.
For a team that has spent plenty of time searching for an identity on offense, the question now is how much of this outing was a true sign of progress and how much came against a defense that was not exactly built to scare anyone. The Jets won comfortably, but Reich still managed to leave fans with the kind of Week 1 argument they always want: whether this was the start of something real or just a promising snapshot against the wrong opponent. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Controversial Kicker Decision Suddenly Looks A Lot Different
The Jets kicking situation looked unsettled all summer after they let Nick Folk walk in free agency and cycled through options before settling on Jason Sanders for Week 1. Folk ended up with Atlanta, while Sanders handled the job in New Yorks opener and helped steady things in a win by making three of four field-goal attempts, giving the Jets at least an immediate answer after a messy search.
Folks debut with the Falcons, meanwhile, did not go the way either side would have hoped. He missed two field goals, a reminder that even a proven kicker can suddenly look vulnerable, especially as age starts to become part of the conversation at the position. For the Jets, the early returns make the decision feel a lot different now than it did when Folk first left. [Read more 🡒]