After starting the season 0-7, the arrow has been trending up for the Jets.
They have won three of their last five games and look like a much better coached team.
It also helps that Jets coach Aaron Glenn benched Justin Fields for Tyrod Taylor, which has opened up another element of their offense. Gang Green’s defense has also improved after suffering from missed tackles and players being out of position early in the season.
Obviously, it is highly unlikely the Jets (3-9) will make the playoffs for the first time since 2010. But they will try to end the season on a positive note. With a month left in the season, let’s answer some of your questions in this week’s mailbag.
What are the three biggest areas of need that the Jets must address to turn this around in 2026? — @FranS3837
Obviously, it starts at quarterback despite Taylor being serviceable this season. Depending on how he plays during the remaining five games of the season, the Jets could decide to bring Taylor — who is an impending free agent — back in 2026 to be their bridge quarterback.
Fields is under contract for next season, but the Jets could release him with a June 1 designation and save $10 million. In addition to possibly bringing Taylor back, I fully expect the Jets to select a quarterback at some point in the 2026 NFL Draft. Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Oregon’s Dante Moore are two quarterbacks who could be drafted early next April.
As for the other needs, the Jets could use another receiving threat opposite Garrett Wilson. Adonai Mitchell and John Metchie III both have a lot of potential, but they need a more consistent weapon who can command attention from the other side of the field.
Quincy Williams is in the final year of his contract, and the Jets must add a bigger linebacker opposite Jamien Sherwood, who has struggled this season. If the Jets decide to address the linebacker position in the draft, Ohio State’s Sonny Styles and Missouri’s Josiah Trotter are two potential options.
Justin Fields is a young QB who has been horrendous this year and has shown no improvement over time. Do you think the Jets move off of Charles London and the rest of the QB staff? —@AmusedCynic1982
I’m not sure how fair it is to blame Charles London and the Jets staff for how inept Fields played this year. Fields had his issues with accuracy and holding onto the ball too long, even before coming to the Jets.
Everyone knows Fields has all the tools you want in a quarterback. But it didn’t work with the Bears and Steelers, and it didn’t work with the Jets. Taylor hasn’t been great this season, but at least he pushes the ball down the field, unlike Fields.
Fields held the ball too long in the pocket and was widely inaccurate. Maybe London and the Jets coaching staff could have helped with that, but sometimes the players are just who they are. If anything, the Jets should be more at fault for the two-year, $40 million contract they gave Fields when they could have signed a player like Jameis Winston for two years, $8 million.
Glenn hasn’t wavered in his plan to improve the Jets culture on and off the field. With the team playing well as of late, I don’t know if you want to mess with the coaching staff. However, anything can happen, especially with five games remaining.
If Ohio State makes Mendoza look really bad this weekend, does that quiet the trade-up talk to take him in the draft? — @goessbo
One bad performance doesn’t make or break a player. So even if Mendoza has a stinker and Indiana loses the Big Ten Championship to Ohio State, I highly doubt it would change much.
Ohio State has the best defense in college football, allowing just 7.8 points per game. The Buckeyes’ defense has also allowed the fewest yards per game (203).
Mendoza won the 2025 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year after leading the Hoosiers to a 12-0 record. He has also thrown for 2,758 yards with 32 touchdowns and only five interceptions. Mendoza is also completing 70.3% of his passes overall and 49.2% when pressure is in his face.
I believe Mendoza fits the Jets’ offensive scheme perfectly because not only is he consistently accurate, but he is also sneaky athletic. At 6-5, 225 pounds, Mendoza has the prototypical size teams want in a quarterback, but he can also move well enough to evade pressure when things begins to collapse. In addition, he can attack all three levels of any defense.
After dealing both Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams last month, the Jets have the draft capital to move up to select Mendoza, if that’s the quarterback they are genuinely in love with, get him. The Jets have been yearning for a franchise quarterback for decades, and they finally need to get this right to become a contending team down the road.
