If the season ended today, the 2-9 Jets would hold the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 draft. Even if they do not end up with that pick – and it is certainly feasible they lose enough games down the stretch to find themselves even higher on the draft board – they should be in prime position to select one of next year’s top quarterback prospects.
To that end, GM Darren Mougey has scouted Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Oregon’s Dante Moore in person, as ESPN’s Rich Cimini writes. Unfortunately for Mougey, the 2026 class of signal-callers, once viewed as a promising one, has seen its stock drop over the course of the 2025 season.
Mendoza has been among the most impressive collegiate QBs and is viewed by many as the top prospect likely to declare for the 2026 draft. Although the game that Mougey attended featured Mendoza leading a dramatic, game-winning drive against Penn State, opinions are split on his ceiling at the NFL level. Moore, meanwhile, is only 20 and could benefit from another year of development in the college ranks.
If players like Moore, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, and Texas’ Arch Manning decide to stay in school for one more season, that will strengthen a 2027 class that is already set to include Florida’s DJ Lagway and Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola. We had heard one of the reasons Mougey was willing to accept a 2027 first-round pick from the Cowboys in this month’s Quinnen Williams trade was because of his belief that the ‘27 draft class offers more promise than its ‘26 counterpart. So, while the first-year GM is obviously doing his due diligence, he may wait another year to make a high-end draft investment in a QB (though Cimini says in a separate piece that there is “growing buzz” in league circles connecting Mendoza to the Jets).
Whether it is Mendoza or someone else, Cimini thinks the Jets will add a rookie QB in the 2026 draft, and he also believes Mougey will acquire a veteran passer. Despite the fact that Justin Fields’ 2026 salary includes $10MM in guaranteed money, Cimini indicates Mougey will likely release the recently-demoted signal-caller – which jibes with previous reports on the matter – and will not try to re-sign his replacement, Tyrod Taylor.
As per usual, the 2026 crop of free agents offers little by way of starting-caliber quarterbacks, and the one that does qualify as such, Daniel Jones, may not make it to free agency. Mougey could therefore look to the trade market to acquire a bridge passer, and Cimini names Kyler Murray, Mac Jones, and Kirk Cousins as potential targets (Murray and Jones, at least, could also be in the Vikings’ crosshairs).
UDFA rookie Brady Cook has spent most of the year on the Jets’ practice squad, though he has been elevated on several occasions to operate as a backup (he has not, however, seen any regular season game action). In response to a question about whether Cook would get into a game in 2025, head coach Aaron Glenn conceded it was a possibility, but he offered no guarantees.
“Jets GM scouting [prospect] in person”
Is this a fever dream?
What
I like Mendoza. I don’t know how high his upside is, but I think he’s got a very strong chance to be a good starting QB, and he has the skills to keep an offense running on time–something that would be refreshing after Fields. I love Moore’s upside, but I’m not so confident he’s even coming out, and he’s a little green. Simpson scares me as a top ten pick. He’s been good, but he’s already graduated, it’s his first year as a starter, and you can see that in the way he handles pressure.
What I *don’t* want to see is the Jets using serious draft capital to trade up even higher in the top five to secure one of these guys. The regime is new. They have a ton of picks in 2027, which looks like a better draft class. They can afford to wait a year to make their big QB move.
They can *afford* to wait. I really dont want them to. Honestly, I’d rather them take a crack at QB in back to back drafts than wait lol Joking, but its been 15 years of no playoffs, I want at least SOMETHING worth watching next season
I’d think Mac Jones would be a worthwhile roll the dice for a year or two – he’s shown he can win with a decent supporting cast. If Lagway is considered a top target, I’d be concerned.
Mac Jones would make sense if they want to wait a year to make their big QB move, though it would be funny for the Jets to cycle through so many of the 2021 draft quarterbacks. Lagway has at least one more season to show what kind of prospect he is.
Sign Mac Jones in free agency, pick up a QB of the future in the draft. Once that’s done the Jets can straighten out their defense via the draft and UDFAs.
Jones isn’t a free agent and UDFAs aren’t a building plan.
Kirk Cousins feels like he makes too much sense as a bridge. Jones will want a longer deal than I think New York will want to give, and I don’t see Murray being as desperate as he probably needs to be to take a prove it deal (just my very non-professional opinion). Besides, if Glenn wants an offense to run on time, Murray’s not going to provide that. Jones can, but he could easily freewheel in an offense that isn’t strongly established yet. Cousins, however, will definitely do that, and probably could accept a shorter deal.
As far as prospects go, I wouldn’t touch Sellers or Lagway right now. Not even close. Manning is finally starting to turn it around, but he’s still far off and I don’t see him coming out. Sellers probably stays one more year, too, but we’ll have to see. He also has a ton of NIL money and USC has been terrible this year. I like Simpson a lot, but he also needs the structure that Jones would to keep him on time, and the Jets don’t have that type established, yet. I don’t think that the QBs really stand out this year, either, to be honest-this seems like a great year to sign Cousins and to work on getting an offensive foundation set.
It’s funny. I said this last season in response to people saying this coming draft class was better and it made sense to wait. I know it’s rare when a draft class provides 3,4 or 5 future starters or stars, but this one doesn’t look much different than last year’s. Overall, perhaps not as good.
I like Moore, but the Jets would destroy him.
What an uneducated, low hanging comment. You have no idea how this Jets regime would do with a rookie QB. The same thing always said about the Bears and them drafting QB and Look at them now.
Haha, Woody?
The Bears are winning despite average play from Caleb. They also have a much better coach than the Jets. Dante Moore will flop if he’s drafted by the Jets
He’s a second year player and has them winning. That means he’s developing. The Jets have stripped it down. Their past QBs have failed because the regimes in place failed to provide them with weapons. In case you haven’t been paying attention, the jets have draft capitol up the ying yang to provide a young QB with support, much like Chicago has done.
Also, Dante Moore will flop because he should stay another year in school, not because of the team that picks him
Speaking of coaching, guess who won on a field goal at the gun this afternoon? J-E-T-S.
And guess who has the NFC #1 seed coming out of Thanksgiving Sunday? Da Bears.
Look more closely instead of knee-jerk believing what ESPN says.
For every Caleb Williams, there are at least a dozen busts.
If you think signing Fields to be QB1 w/ years of pro tape, then the GM should be fired already. Darkside is right, the Jets will crush ANY rookie QB.
Again, until you see this regime with a rookie QB, you can’t make that generalization about a TEAM lol just because this guy puts on a jersey he’s gonna suck. That’s a clown 4th grade take
Arty really isnt known for his wisdom around here but 4th grade might be giving him too much credit
So just so I understand, the GM of a team without a QB, and with a high draft pick, is scouting the best college QBs?
IN a very underwhelming QB class, maybe the Jets would/should by pass taking a maybe/might be QB, move back in the draft a bit adding draft picks and continue putting a better team open the field in 26…there will be veteran QB’s that are better than what they have come available and that might be a better option than taking a first year starter, a strong arm but little else, or a project with a high ceiling with their 1st…….the Jets normally screw this up, so hopefully they give Glenn something better to work with personal wise that what he has….the 27 class seemingly has everyone talking about QB’s coming out with much better skills than the 26 class…..
Underwhelming was the word used for last years class and it produced Jaxson Dart. It’s all about the situation the young QB is put into and how he is groomed. QB is the most poorly coached position in all of sports and I think having a lot of college experience is more beneficial than it ever has been for QB declaring for the draft
I never understand the reference to young and old college QBs. You only have QB for 5 years before he starts getting expensive. I’d think you’d want the most experienced of the lot. Getting someone between the ages of 21-25 or getting someone for ages 23-27, I think makes very little difference for.
Joe Burrow versus Anthony Richardson. Case in point.
Im not sure what point you think this makes? Two wildly different QBs with different pedigrees of success and different playstyles. AR15 had maybe a year of starting experience in college and it really wasnt THAT good, Joe Burrow may have been one of, if not the best college QBs ever.
I think Burrow, if 21 in the NFL would still have been better than AR drafted at any age. If your argument is younger drafted QBs are always going to he worse than older drafted QBs, im not sure that holds much water. Peyton debuted at 22, Stafford at 21, Vick at 21, and then theres guys like Stenson Bennett who was drafted at 25 and didnt do.. well anything.
Theres a lot more to a QB prospect to consider than simply age, and I dont even think theres a trend either direction to support whether or not its better to get older or younger QBs in the draft
Simply on the surface that age doesn’t matter much for a QB. Richardson was one of the youngest players drafted, Burrow was closer to one of the eldest than the youngest. Just another supporting fact that age is not important for QBs, really.
Oh i thought you were suggesting the inverse, that older>younger
I sincerely hope Manning stays in college another year. He showed decent progress this year as the season went on. With another year under his belt, I bet he’ll actually be worth his almost inevitable “first round pick” status.
Hey oooff, where are they going to get Mendoza some help. He needs some recievers to throw to. And the o-line and that great, other teams going to break the down,like they did with Archie manning in the 70s.
Yikes!
Jets may want to build out the lines and get some NFL skill players before drafting another learn on the job QB.
Kyler Murray with the jets would be interesting ngl