We are more than six months away from the 2026 NFL Draft.
But many Jets fans have already begun to look ahead because they’re in the midst of a disastrous season.
If the season ended today, the winless Jets (0-7) would have the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft. Gang Green is just one game ahead of Miami, New Orleans, and Tennessee for the top spot.
No matter where the Jets will be drafting, they certainly will be in the hunt for a new quarterback. Because of that, it is fair to wonder if Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey’s regime are the right people to make that decision, which could alter the franchise entirely.
Of the last eight quarterbacks drafted No. 1 overall, six of them went through a coaching change during their rookie season. The latest example came after the Titans fired Brian Callahan after a 4-19 record in 23 games, just six months after they selected Cam Ward No. 1 overall. It also happened a year earlier, after the Bears fired Matt Eberflus, after they drafted Caleb Williams No. 1 overall, and with the Panthers in 2023 with Frank Reich and Bryce Young.
When you’re selecting any quarterback, it is essential to make sure he is surrounded by a good support system and coaching staff that can maximize his talents. Teams also want young quarterbacks not to undergo several staff changes early in their careers, which could hinder their growth at the most important position in sports.
Can Jets owner Woody Johnson entrust Glenn and Mougey to select the right quarterback, who can get them out of this dark abyss they’re currently in? Glenn and Mougey are already on strike one in terms of choosing quarterbacks after the failed Justin Fields experiment.
Not only has the Fields signing been an absolute disaster, but the quarterback they released to sign him is flourishing in a new location. In February, Glenn and Mougey decided to release Aaron Rodgers after two seasons. In six games with the Steelers this season, Rodgers has passed for 1,270 yards with 14 touchdowns and five interceptions. Also, Rodgers has led the Steelers to a 4-2 record, which is tops in the AFC North.
Glenn and Mougey gave Fields a two-year, $40 million contract, hoping he could be the latest quarterback to revive his career in a different zip code. In his Jets’ opener, Fields looked promising after passing for 218 yards and accumulating three total touchdowns. But since Week 1, Fields has regressed.
In six starts, Fields is averaging 140.8 yards per game and has four touchdowns and zero interceptions. While Fields hasn’t turned the ball over a ton, the Jets have scored 17 points in the past two games. They also have not registered a touchdown in eight quarters.
That is why Glenn finally had enough and benched Fields following a dreadful 6-of-12 for 46 yards first-half performance during the 13-6 loss to the Panthers. Fields was also sacked three times before Tyrod Taylor replaced him in the third quarter. Taylor moved the offense some, but two interceptions, both to Jaycee Horn, killed all hopes of a possible comeback.
Glenn hasn’t announced a starting quarterback for the Jets Week 8 game at Cincinnati, but Glenn says there are several reasons the Fields signing hasn’t worked.
“There’s blame to go around on a number of things,” Glenn said. “We have to continue to figure out how to put him in the best position to be successful. We also have to look at, Justin has to execute.
“There’s a number of things that need to go into that. We are not going to point the finger and blame just one person at all. We are not just going to say, it is Justin’s fault, we are not just going to say it is the coaching. That’s a situation that we are going to come together and be the best that we can as far as put guys in position and guys executing.”
Despite how poorly it has looked through seven games, it is unlikely Glenn would be one-and-done with the Jets. But you have to imagine Johnson wants to see progress throughout the final 10 games of the season. The Jets have winnable games after their bye against the Browns, Dolphins, and Saints in hopes of avoiding the league’s first 0-17 season.
Even more than the results, they need to see if the locker room continues to back Glenn throughout these struggles.
“It’s hard, you know,” Breece Hall said about staying motivated after starting the season 0-7. “We’ve been kind of in this for – going on four years now being in this organization and, you know, you feel it from the fans, you feel it around the building, you feel it everywhere, you feel it as soon as you leave the locker room.
“But at the end of the day we all have something to play for, whether it’s family, whether it’s a self-motivated thing. I feel like if you’re not motivated to come to work every day and get better and, you know, play for your teammates, your coaches, play for your family, or even for other reasons other than that, then you shouldn’t be in this league.”
No matter how the rest of the season goes, it is painfully obvious that the Fields is not the Jets’ long-term solution at quarterback. But no matter if it’s Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, Oregon’s Dante Moore, or Alabama’s Ty Simpson, the Jets know from past experience that they have to get this quarterback selection in 2026 correct.
They gave up on Sam Darnold after three seasons and a coaching change. The Jets selected Zach Wilson in 2021, which is a big reason they’re still on this continuous hamster wheel of missing the playoffs for the previous 14 years and counting.
Choosing a quarterback isn’t about 2026, it is about what could potentially happen the next decade for the Jets. If Glenn and Mougey make the wrong choice, the Jets could be looking for a new coach, general manager and quarterback in three years.
