The New York Jets may not be in position to shop for stars right now, but if they do take a step forward this season, they could be in line to chase a major upgrade next offseason.
One name that stands out is George Pickens, especially after comments from Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones suggested Dallas could have a hard time paying both Pickens and CeeDee Lamb at the top of the market.
"I don't know of any teams that really can pay two top receivers top of the market, so that's gonna be a real difficult situation as we move forward," Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said on the DLLS Cowboys podcast, H/T BR. "We've managed to figure out how we can do it for this year. If everything works out the way we think it is, [in] which CeeDee and George both have huge years again, then it'll be a bigger challenge next year."
That kind of setup should have the Jets paying attention. Wide receiver remains the one area of the roster that still feels unsettled beyond Garrett Wilson. The group has promise, but there are still a lot of unknowns once you move past him.
Pickens would give them a very different kind of answer. The source material makes the case that he belongs somewhere in the top five to 10 receivers in the league, and last season he backed that up when Lamb was hurt. In a solid Cowboys offense, he got the chance to be the guy they leaned on.
A trade for a player like that would not come easy, and it would not be cheap. But if the Jets are winning enough this year to start thinking bigger, Pickens is the sort of player who would fit squarely into that conversation. Pairing him with Wilson would give New York a much stronger top end at the position, even if the rest of the room still needs sorting out.
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Will McDonald Just Got A Jets Chance He Desperately Needed
Will McDonalds path back into the Jets rotation has gotten a little clearer just as the season opener arrives. After a disappointing 2025 campaign pushed him down the depth chart, the edge rusher suddenly has a Week 1 opening because Joseph Ossai is dealing with a foot injury, and Aaron Glenn said Ossai is week-to-week. That puts McDonald in line for more snaps against the Tennessee Titans, a chance he has been waiting for as the Jets sort through their pass-rush options.
For McDonald, the timing matters as much as the opportunity. He enters the opener needing a strong start to change the conversation around his place on the roster, especially with other pass rushers also competing for playing time and his future in New York far from settled. A good first impression would not solve everything, but it would give the Jets reason to keep investing in him after a season that left more questions than answers. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Have A Clear Week 1 Mismatch Tennessee Wont Like
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For the Jets, the matchup points toward a ground-game approach designed to stress the edges early and often. Johnson arrived in Tennessee after an injury-affected season in New York, while Martins stop with the Jets was brief, and their presence gives the opener a little extra intrigue for a team looking to turn a potentially familiar defensive front into an advantage on the outside. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Fans Can Already See The Next Franchise QB Dream
The Jets already have Geno Smith lined up at quarterback for the 2026 season, but the long-term conversation in Florham Park is never far from the future of the position. Bleacher Report stirred that up with a mock draft projecting New York to take Arch Manning in the 2027 NFL Draft, a nod to both the teams ongoing search for a franchise quarterback and the buzz surrounding one of the most closely watched prospects in the sport.
For Jets fans, it is the kind of projection that instantly invites daydreaming, even if it is still firmly in the speculative stage. Mannings potential gives the idea real juice, and New Yorks need for a centerpiece at quarterback keeps the fit easy to imagine, but for now it remains just one more early look at a future that is still a long way from being decided. [Read more 🡒]