New York Jets Offseason Primer: Our Plan for Rebuilding Gang Green

Unfortunately, it’s getting late early for the Aaron Glenn era in New York. The Jets head coach and his partner GM Darren Mougey are already on the hot seat after a disastrous three-win inaugural campaign.

The good news is they are armed with $79m in cap space and five first-round picks in the next two NFL Drafts. Their challenge is they need at least eight starters — QB, RB, WR2, WR3, LG, DT, LB, and S for the 2026 season.

Developing a plan from outside of Florham Park is especially challenging after the Jets blew up last season’s coaching staff. With Frank Reich as their new offensive coordinator and Brian Duker assisting Glenn as the new defensive coordinator, we are using our crystal ball to determine good fits.


PLAYERS TO RETAIN

1. Sign or place the Franchise Tag on RB Breece Hall. The Jets have too many holes in their lineup to let their dual-threat 24-year-old running back leave Florham Park for nothing. $12m would tie Hall with Josh Jacobs for sixth on the list of highest-paid NFL running backs. If Hall balks, the franchise tag is estimated to be $14.186m in 2026. 4-years, $12m per year.
2. Sign K Nick Folk. The 41-year-old Folk Hero connected on 28 of 29 field goals and all 22 of his extra points in his 2025 return to Gotham. Plus, he is the only active player left from when the Jets last made the playoffs in 2010. Folk should get a raise from $2.875m. 1-year, $3.75m.

    

3. Sign LG Alijah Vera-Tucker. The current Jets regime didn’t draft Vera-Tucker, but they did name him an offensive captain heading into the 2025 season. Unfortunately, the 26-year-old suffered a season-ending torn triceps injury just a few days later. Despite only playing in 43 of 84 games, I’m willing to bet that his problems are bad luck and not bad genes. The Jets should work out a low-guarantee, high-incentive agreement to keep him. 2-years, $12.5m per year (plus incentives).

    

4. Make a qualifying offer to RFA WR John Metchie III. The Jets acquired the 25-year-old Metchie from the Philadelphia Eagles for CB Michael Carter II. While he didn’t show enough to become a serious contender for WR2 alongside Garrett Wilson, he does warrant the right-of-first-refusal tender. 1-year, $3.57m. 

FREE AGENTS TO COVET

1. Sign C Tyler Linderbaum. Center is not a position of need, but acquiring the 25-year-old Baltimore Ravens standout would elevate the Jets from an ascending offensive line to an elite offensive line. Linderbaum has made the Pro Bowl the last three seasons. If he makes it to free agency, he will easily surpass the $18m annual salary that Creed Humphrey makes as the NFL’s highest-paid center. It would reminiscent of when Aaron Glenn’s mentor Bill Parcells signed future Hall of Fame center Kevin Mawae heading into the 1998 season. 4-years, $22m per year.

    

2. Sign WR Keenan Allen. The Jets need a few more “adults in the room”, and the 33-year-old Allen would give them a productive, veteran presence if he can be convinced to leave his beloved Los Angeles Chargers. Last year, he proved he still had game with 81 catches, 777 yards and 4 touchdowns. 2-years, $8m per year.

    

3. Sign LB Nakobe Dean. The Jets will be looking for help at all three levels on defense. IF they can only afford to make one splash signing, I would replace Quincy Williams with the 25-year-old Philadelphia Eagles’ linebacker. He only played 10 games in 2025, but his 4 sacks and 2 forced fumbles would’ve placed him second in both categories for the Green, White and occasionally Black. 4-years, $11m per year.

    

4. Sign DT Sheldon Rankins. The 31-year-old Rankins remains productive three years after he left the Jets. In 2025 he had a PFF grade of 73.2 – ranking 19^th among 134 interior defensive linemen. Plus, he gives the Jets another one of those “adults in the room”, this time on defense. 1-year, $7.5m.

QB SHOPPING

1. Trade for QB Mac Jones. Could the third time be a charm? The Jets struck out with the second (Zach Wilson) and 11th picks (Justin Fields) in the 2021 NFL Draft — so why not try again with #15? Jones played in 11 games for the San Francisco 49ers this past season, starting eight, and setting individual bests for completion percentage (69.6%), QBR (62.3) and QB Rating (97.4). Plus, he’s only on the books for $3.98m in 2026. The Jets send pick #103 (fourth round) and a conditional 2027 third-round pick to San Francisco for Jones and a 2027 seventh-round pick. If Jones plays in at least 50% of the Jets snaps in 2026, and his official NFL QB rating is in the top 20, the pick conveys. Otherwise, the Jets will send a 2027 fourth-round pick to San Francisco instead.
   
   
2. Sign QB Jimmy Garoppolo or QB Carson Wentz. The Jets need an inexpensive veteran backup, and the 34-year-old Garoppolo would be my choice. He spent the last two seasons backing up Matthew Stafford with the Los Angeles Rams where he has earned praise from Sean McVay. If Jimmy G doesn’t want to leave the Bay Area, Reich can make a pitch to team up with Wentz for the third time — after stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts. 1-year, $3.25m. 

WAY TOO EARLY MOCK DRAFT

We fired up the Pro Football Network mock draft simulator using their “consensus” player list which includes rankings from ESPN, PFF, PFSN, and The Athletic. 

Because Fernando Mendoza is considered the only franchise quarterback available in the 2026 NFL Draft, we believe that there will be limited trade activity at the top of the first round. However, the simulator phone kept ringing, so we made two trades before selecting the player we would’ve picked if we had stayed at #2.

1. The Jets trade pick #2 to the Tennessee Titans for picks #4, #35, and #66, plus a second and a fourth-round pick in 2027.
   
   
2. The Jets trade pick #4 and #175 to the New Orleans Saints for picks #8 and #42.

THE NEW ALL-22
What follows is the Jets’ updated starters based on the moves outlined above.

Offense
QB — Mac Jones
RB — Breece Hall
WR1 — Garrett Wilson
WR2 — Malachi Fields
WR3 — Keenan Allen
TE — Mason Taylor
LT — Olu Fashanu
LG — Alijah Vera-Tucker
C — Tyler Linderbaum
RG — Joe Tippmann
RT — Armand Membou

Defense
EDGE — Jermaine Johnson
DT — Harrison Phillips
DT — Caleb Banks
EDGE — Will McDonald IV
LB — Jamien Sherwood
LB — Nakobe Dean
RCB — Brandon Stephens
LCB — Azareye’h Thomas
SCB — Jarvis Brownlee Jr
S — Caleb Downs
S — Dillon Thieneman

ICYMI “New York Jets Offseason Primer: Breaking Down the Depth Chart”