Jets Face a Steep Rebuild - But 2026 Offers a Path Back to Relevance
Let’s not sugarcoat it: the New York Jets are in a deep hole. Not just bottom-of-the-barrel - we’re talking through-the-barrel, into-the-earth’s-core kind of bad. At 3-11, the record speaks volumes, but the underlying numbers paint an even bleaker picture.
Through 14 games in 2025, the Jets have been outscored by 123 points. That’s despite playing one of the league’s softer schedules.
Adjust for strength of schedule using the Simple Rating System (SRS), and they sit at -10.5 - second-worst in the NFL, ahead of only the Raiders. If that number holds, it’ll go down as the fourth-worst SRS in franchise history.
And that’s saying something for a team with a long history of painful Sundays.
But even that stat undersells how far this roster has fallen.
This year’s Jets team has been buoyed by a historically elite special teams unit. Strip that away, and the picture gets even uglier.
Their combined offensive and defensive DVOA sits at -40.4% - the worst mark in the NFL this season, and one of the 10 worst since the stat was introduced in 1978. For context, that would be the worst single-season DVOA in Jets history, by a wide margin.
In other words: this team isn’t just struggling. It’s flirting with all-time futility.
The Good News? Help Is (Potentially) on the Way
As bad as things look right now, the Jets are actually positioned to make a serious leap forward - if they play their cards right.
Let’s start with the money.
As of mid-December, the Jets are projected to have $95.1 million in cap space heading into the 2026 offseason. That ranks fourth in the NFL:
- Titans: $106.8M
- Raiders: $105.1M
- Chargers: $101.7M
- Jets: $95.1M
- Commanders: $81.9M
- Rams: $81.4M
- Seahawks: $71.2M
- Bengals: $69.6M
- Patriots: $48.0M
- Colts: $47.6M
That’s a lot of financial firepower - and it’s coming at a time when the Jets desperately need to retool nearly every position group. Their roster lacks impact players on both sides of the ball, and the depth just isn’t there. But with nearly $100 million to spend, they’re in a position to address those holes with proven veterans who can help raise the team’s floor in the short term.
That number did take a small hit recently, thanks to two contract extensions: center Josh Myers (two years, $11 million) and tight end Jeremy Ruckert (two years, $10 million). Myers will carry a $4.3 million cap hit in 2026, dropping the Jets’ projection from $99.4 million to $95.1 million. Ruckert’s deal hasn’t been fully factored in yet, but it’ll likely shave off another few million once the full details are reported.
Limited Flexibility, But Still a Top-Tier Cap Situation
There is one catch: the Jets don’t have much room to create additional cap space.
Only one player on the roster - defensive tackle Harrison Phillips - can be released to free up more than $2 million. Cutting Phillips would save $7.5 million with zero dead money, making him the only real lever the Jets can pull to open up more space.
After that, the options are slim. Even starting quarterback Justin Fields would only free up $1 million if released - and he’d leave behind a massive $22 million dead cap hit.
That lack of flexibility means the Jets’ current cap space ranking could slide a bit once other teams begin restructuring contracts and making roster cuts in the spring. Teams like Washington and the Rams, both within $14 million of the Jets, could close the gap. But even if that happens, New York is still sitting on a significant war chest - and they’re nearly $24 million ahead of seventh-ranked Seattle.
Bottom line: this is still one of the best financial positions in the league heading into a critical offseason.
Draft Capital: A Golden Opportunity
And it’s not just about the cap space.
According to Tankathon, the Jets also hold the most valuable collection of picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. That gives them a dual-pronged approach to rebuilding: plug immediate holes in free agency, and use the draft to build a long-term foundation.
With that kind of capital - both financial and draft-based - the Jets have a rare opportunity to reshape their roster in a meaningful way. It won’t be easy, and it won’t happen overnight. But if GM Joe Douglas and head coach Aaron Glenn can align on a clear vision, this team could start to look very different - and much more competitive - by this time next year.
What Comes Next
The 2025 season has been a brutal watch for Jets fans. The offense has sputtered.
The defense, despite flashes, hasn’t held up. And outside of special teams, there hasn’t been much to hang your hat on.
But the 2026 offseason is shaping up to be a turning point.
With top-tier cap space, a treasure chest of draft assets, and a front office that finally has the resources to act, the Jets have a chance to climb out of the hole they’ve dug. It’s not going to be easy - rebuilding from this level of dysfunction rarely is - but the path is there.
Now it’s up to the Jets to walk it.