The New York Jets have made some big changes at the trade deadline. With the team at 1-7 and looking directionless this year, they've decided to instead focus on the future. They traded Quinnen Williams for a future first and a future second to the Dallas Cowboys, and dealt Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts for two firsts.
After the trade deadline, the Jets have a ton of draft capital to use for the next few seasons. It's led fans to wonder: Is New York preparing for a major move for a young quarterback? Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler certainly think so.
“New York's deadline deals leave them with two first-round picks and two second-round picks in the 2026 draft and three first-round picks in 2027,” Graziano wrote. “The way this is being perceived by people I've talked to is that the Jets are determined to do whatever it takes to resolve their long-term quarterback situation in one of the next two drafts. Having five first-round picks in the next two years will enable the Jets to trade up if that is what's needed to finally find their franchise QB.”
“Parting with a young star player such as Gardner is tough, but the Jets shed significant salary while stocking themselves with high picks,” Fowler added. “And they already ranked in the bottom half of the league in total defense and rushing defense with these players on expensive contracts. Might as well exhaust every option to secure a QB in the future.”
The Jets have been looking for a solution to their quarterback woes for quite some time. They've had some prolific misses over the last few years: Sam Darnold, Geno Smith, and Zach Wilson are some of their draft misses (at least during their time in New York). Their experiment with Aaron Rodgers also failed, and it looks like the Justin Fields experience will end after just one year.
Fields was already benched after Week 7 due to abysmal play from the former first-round pick. That being said, he still got the nod in Week 8 with backup Tyrod Taylor suffering an injury. Fields turned in an incredible performance in Week 8, albeit against the worst defense in the league in the Bengals. Fields has another chance to prove he's the Jets' QB of the future in Week 10 against the Cleveland Browns. If not… well, the Jets are perfectly equipped to find his replacement in the offseason.
