The Jets suffered a loss in the secondary in Week 8 when Andre Cisco went down. The fifth-year veteran suffered a pectoral tear, and he will be sidelined for the remainder of the campaign as a result.

When speaking to the media on Monday, head coach Aaron Glenn said (via ESPN’s Rich Cimini) Cisco is set to undergo season-ending surgery. A lengthy recovery period is thus in store for the pending free agent. Meanwhile, the Jets will move forward without a starter on the back end.

Cisco showcased his playmaking skills while with the Jaguars from 2021-24. Over the course of his rookie pact, the former third-rounder notched eight interceptions and 24 pass deflections. That did not result in a long-term commitment during his first trip to free agency, however, as Cisco took a one-year accord to join the Jets. That contract included $7.5MM in guarantees, but matching it in 2026 will of course be challenging.

Given Cisco’s injury, he will no doubt be in line for another one-year pact on the open market next spring. The Syracuse product started each of his eight Jets appearances prior to suffering the injury; during that time, he was held without an interception and recorded only one pass breakup. Cisco’s showing in coverage also left plenty to be desired, with three touchdowns and a passer rating of 130.2 surrendered as the nearest defender.

The 25-year-old could be viewed as a buy-low candidate by outside suitors based on his age and previous production. It will be interesting to see if the Jets’ regime of Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey elects to keep him in place since this is not an instance of a player added by previous management. In the event New York prioritizes one or more changes at the safety spot this offseason, though, a change of scenery will be in store for the second straight year in Cisco’s case.

The Jets may have earned their first win of the season this weekend, but it didn’t come without its lumps. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, starting safety Andre Cisco has sustained “a pectoral tear that needs repair.”

Cisco came to New York on a one-year, $8.5MM deal following the expiration of his rookie contract as a third-round pick in Jacksonville. Over his time with the Jaguars, Cisco quickly inserted himself into the defensive gameplan, earning a full-time starting job by his sophomore season. He showed impressive ball skills, logging seven interceptions and 15 passes defensed in his first two years as a starter, but failed to capitalize on a contract year, leading to the one-year contract he signed.

New head coach Aaron Glenn brought his defensive mindset from Detroit, and star cornerback Sauce Gardner has looked strong alongside a career year for newcomer Brandon Stephens and a strong sophomore campaign for Jarvis Brownlee Jr. The team has been decently middle-of-the-road in passing yards allowed, but they’ve given up the fourth-most passing touchdowns in the NFL, and they’re the only team in the NFL without an interception.

So far this season, the safeties have been a weak spot for the Jets defense. Tony Adams, who began the season as the starter next to Cisco, was benched after Week 4 in favor of fourth-round rookie Malachi Moore, who hasn’t fared much better. The only other player currently labeled as a safety on the roster is former nickelback Isaiah Oliver, though undrafted rookie Dean Clark resides on the practice squad.

The severity of the repair is not apparent from Fowler’s report. With a complete tear, the “repair” in question would be a surgical one requiring months of recovery and rehabilitation. If Cisco suffered only a minor tear, though, the team may be able to treat it non-surgically and have him back quicker after some rest.

Either way, if Cisco is forced to miss any time, it will be at the detriment of an already thin position group. New York will likely need to seek reinforcements, though they’ve been identified pretty clearly more as sellers than buyers in the trade market. More likely, they may look to add depth out of the existing free agent pool.