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The New York Jets are rebuilding after the organization’s dream of an Aaron Rodgers-led championship run ended in a nightmare. The team replaced its general manager, head coach, coordinators and quarterback since last year’s season opener.
Aaron Glenn is at the helm now, running the organization with first-time GM Darren Mougey. And with new management in charge, the team can go in any number of directions. There are trade targets the Jets could pursue, an obvious trade New York could make and a potential deadline deal.
But these are two sneaky trades the team could make heading into training camp. While neither move would result in a better football team this season, and neither is necessarily recommended, they both could potentially help New York compete down the road.
Would the Jets really trade Quincy Williams?
If Glenn’s mission is to build culture with the Jets, it would seem ill-advised to move on from Quincy Williams. The former first-team All-Pro is the kind of player you would want as the foundation of your culture rebuild.
Williams is a strong veteran presence in the locker room. This is particularly important after the Jets released C.J. Mosely, who had taken on a leadership role during his six seasons with New York.
The team went from having one of the NFL’s oldest rosters last season to one of the youngest in 2025. While Glenn’s youth movement is the right course for a franchise that’s far from championship caliber, the Jets still need veteran leaders. Williams provides that presence for the team, and that’s saying nothing of his actual on-field value.
The seventh-year pro is one of the very best linebackers in football when at his best, evidenced by his excellent 2023 campaign. Despite a dip in production last season, Williams plays elite pass coverage and has the motor and sideline-to-sideline speed to track down opponents in the open field.
In a perfect world, Quincy would stay in New York with his younger brother Quinnen. However, he’s entering the final season of a three-year, $18 million contract he signed with the team in 2023.
The Jets just inked fellow linebacker Jamien Sherwood to a three-year, $45 million extension after he led the league in solo tackles during his first season as a starter. Additionally, New York is working on long term extensions for Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson after exercising their fifth-year options.
The team will spend big money on their standout cornerback and wideout. But the Jets also have big decisions to make on right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker and running back Breece Hall, who are both entering the final year of their rookie deals.
If the Jets decide there isn’t enough to go around or that they don’t want to invest that heavily in the position, Williams would make for a sneaky trade heading into training camp. He could immediately improve a contender’s linebacker room and return valuable draft capital to the Jets, who may have an eye on Texas LB Anthony Hill Jr in 2026.
Move Michael Carter II to a competitor?
The Jets' secondary has been the team’s biggest strength over the last three seasons. New York has boasted a top four pass defense each year since drafting Sauce Gardner in 2022. Of course, that’s the same year the team added veteran cornerback D.J. Reed.
The duo was dynamic for New York, helping key a turnaround that saw the team go from having the NFL’s worst overall defense in 2021 to the fourth-best unit in 2022 (and third-best in 2023 and 2024). While Gardner and Reed got the attention, there was another member of the group.
Michael Carter II has been the Jets’ unsung hero in the secondary. A fifth-round draft pick in 2021, Carter has developed into a strong slot cornerback. While injuries and organizational dysfunction led to a down year in 2024, Carter had previously earned a top 25 grade among corners in 2022 and finished inside the top 20 in 2023, per PFF.
After letting Reed walk in free agency this offseason, the Jets signed former Baltimore Ravens defensive back Brandon Stephens to a $36 million contract. Although Glenn and new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks could help elevate Stephens' game, the swap most likely ends up as a downgrade for the Jets.
Gardner and Carter will return for New York but the team also added Azareye'h Thomas to the secondary in the 2025 draft. The former Florida State standout corner was considered a top prospect at the beginning of the year. However, he fell to the third round, where the Jets selected him with the 73rd overall pick.
With Stephens locked into an outside cornerback role opposite Gardner and Carter playing nickelback, the rookie is the odd man out. But if the Jets believe Thomas is ready for significant playing time, the team could deal Carter.
New York extended the fifth-year veteran in 2024, making Carter the NFL’s highest-paid slot corner with a three-year, $30.75 million deal. There’s a potential out in his contract following the 2025 season. After that, his cap hit rises to $12.25 million in 2026.
Trading Carter would help reduce the team’s salary cap burden when New York will need the space for the upcoming Gardner/Wilson extensions. But moving him should also bring back solid draft capital for the rebuilding team.
While keeping Carter would likely help the Jets play better in 2025, the team isn’t breaking its 14-year postseason drought with or without him. And it’s possible that a highly-paid slot corner is not a luxury that a rebuilding team can afford. However, there are a number of teams that would be very interested in adding Carter to the roster.
Still, it would be difficult to watch the Jets go from leading the league in Michael Carters in 2023 to having none in 2025.
Bonus sneaky Jets trade
Alijah Vera-Tucker is undeniably an excellent guard. The Jets took him 14th overall in 2021 and he’s been an elite and versatile offensive lineman over his four-year career. However, Vera-Tucker has struggled with injuries since entering the NFL.
The 26-year-old pro has missed 25 of 68 possible games. And now he’s entering the final year of his rookie deal after the Jets picked up his fifth-year option. So the team must decide if AVT is part of its vision for the future.
It seems counterproductive to mess with the offensive line after investing so much in the group. New York spent first-round picks on O-lineman in 2021 (AVT), 2024 (Olu Fashanu) and 2025 (Armand Membou) as well as a second-rounder in 2023 on center Joe Tippmann.
However, if the Jets conclude that they won’t extend Vera-Tucker, he would be a huge trade chip for the team. Plenty of GMs would be calling Mougey up about the big right guard.
