NFL analyst Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report thinks the New York Jets would need something close to a miracle to reach the playoffs.
That’s the reality after a 3-14 season in which the Jets became the first team in NFL history to go without a defensive interception and also lose five straight games by 23 or more points in the same year. The bar is steep in Year 2 of the Aaron Glenn era, especially with a schedule that includes the Tennessee Titans, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings.
FanDuel has New York at 5.5 wins, and that number would not be enough to get the Jets into the AFC playoffs.
Still, this doesn’t look like the same kind of mess from a year ago. The Jets had a strong draft and a busy offseason, which should keep them from being the league’s punching bag again. In the 2026 draft, they added David Bailey, Kenyon Sadiq, Omar Cooper Jr., D'Angelo Ponds, Darrell Jackson Jr., Cade Klubnik, Anez Cooper and VJ Payne.
Before the draft, New York also made several notable moves, bringing in Geno Smith from the Raiders, Minkah Fitzpatrick from the Dolphins and T'Vondre Sweat from the Titans. They also signed Demario Davis and Tim Patrick in free agency.
The bigger question is what kind of season Smith can deliver. He arrives with 22,168 passing yards, 124 passing touchdowns and 89 career interceptions, along with a 42-56-0 record as a starter. He also threw 17 interceptions last season, which makes a full bounce-back feel like a long shot.
Even so, Garrett Wilson is already looking forward to catching passes from him. After the Jets traded for Smith, Wilson "immediately" called Seattle Seahawks star Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who was Smith’s teammate in Seattle.
Smith-Njigba described the moment this way: "All of a sudden, I'm pumped, I'm excited, and then once I got to meet the guy, which would have been a month ago now, mid-April, I had constructed this view of him in my head and how he was going to be. It was cool, right?
I couldn't wait to meet him based on what I had constructed in my head. Then I met him and he just blew that out of the water."
In Other News...
Breece Hall Just Reignited The Robert Saleh Debate For Jets Fans
Robert Salehs time with the Jets is still the kind of subject that can split a fan base, because his three-plus seasons on the sideline never came close to matching the expectations that came with the job. He finished 20-36 before the organization moved on, and even with plenty of talent around the roster, the results never really caught up to the promise. So when Breece Hall recently weighed in on where things stand now, it naturally pulled that old debate right back into the conversation.
Halls comments pointed to a sense that the franchise feels steadier than it did before, which is exactly the sort of thing Jets fans have been waiting to hear after so many false starts. It also adds a little extra edge to the way this season is framed, because the team is trying to prove that the culture around it has changed for real, not just in theory. For a fan base that has lived through enough resets, the next step is finding out whether that stability actually shows up when the games begin. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Receiver Battle Already Took An Early Camp Turn
The Jets second preseason practice offered a first look at how quickly the receiver room can change in camp, even before the pads come on. While the defense drew praise for its speed and energy in non-padded drills, the day also brought some early attrition at wideout, with Gee Scott leaving with a calf injury and the team moving to add another body to the mix.
Quincy Skinner is the latest name to enter that competition, giving New York another young receiver to evaluate after his time at Vanderbilt and a previous stint with Atlanta as an undrafted free agent. For a group trying to sort out roles and stay healthy through the opening stretch of camp, the early churn is a reminder that every practice rep matters and that the depth chart can shift fast. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Just Addressed Interest In A Player Fans Will Instantly Debate
The Jets have already done the thing every team does when a player with baggage hits the market: they checked in. After the Detroit Lions released the cornerback following his surrender on multiple felony charges, New York confirmed it reached out as part of what the club is treating as a basic due-diligence step, not a full-throated pursuit. The situation is complicated enough on its own, with the player maintaining his innocence through his attorney while the legal process moves ahead.
For the Jets, the bigger issue is not just talent evaluation but how far any team wants to go when a players off-field case is still so unsettled. Interest around the league surfaced quickly, with several teams making contact soon after he cleared waivers, and that only adds to the debate for fans who are already weighing football need against everything else attached to the name. New York has at least shown it is looking, but for now the thread remains open. [Read more 🡒]