The Jets now have the second of their three first-round picks under contract. Tight end Kenyon Sadiq has signed his fully guaranteed rookie deal, the team announced. As the 16th overall pick, Sadiq will earn approximately $22.34MM.
This year’s draft saw 22 tight ends come off the board, but Sadiq was the lone first-rounder of the bunch. The 6-foot-3, 241-pounder played three years at Oregon, where he enjoyed a breakout junior season in 2025. Sadiq hauled in 51 passes for 560 yards and eight touchdowns en route to Big Ten Tight End of the Year honors. He was also a second-team All-American.
Sadiq’s stock was already high when Oregon’s season ended, but he improved it with a scintillating performance at the Combine. The 21-year-old cemented himself as a first-round lock when he ran the fastest 40-yard dash (4.39 seconds) of any tight end since at least 2003. He also paced the position in the 10-yard split and finished second in the vertical jump, broad jump and bench press.
The Jets, who entered the draft in dire need of pass-catching help, are banking on the athletically gifted Sadiq emerging as a key weapon in new coordinator Frank Reich‘s offense. Sadiq will join 2025 second-rounder Mason Taylor, who was a bright spot in a rough year for the team, as well as Jeremy Ruckert as New York’s tight ends. Sadiq, Taylor, No. 1 wide receiver Garrett Wilson, first-round wideout Omar Cooper Jr. (pick No. 30) and WR Adonai Mitchell form a respectable-looking collection of pass catchers on paper.
Sadiq is the first member of the Jets’ eight-player draft class to put pen to paper on his rookie deal. Edge defender David Bailey, the second overall pick, is the headliner of the group.