For decades, the Jets have been searching for a franchise quarterback.
The 2026 NFL Draft could present the Jets with two possible options: Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza or Oregon quarterback Dante Moore.
The problem is, the Jets would pick seventh in the 2026 NFL Draft if it were held today. That likely won’t be high enough to draft either Mendoza or Moore. But if the Jets are in love with either Mendoza or Moore, they should do whatever it takes to draft them.
It isn’t like the Jets don’t have the draft capital to make a trade work. They added three additional first-round picks after dealing both Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams at the trade deadline last month.
The Jets received a 2026 first-round pick and a 2027 first-round pick for Gardner. They also obtained a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 first-round pick for Williams.
Considering the current state of the Colts, the pick the Jets have could potentially be in the high teens, especially if Indianapolis continues to lose following Daniel Jones’ season-ending Achilles injury. The Colts have lost three straight and have gone from being one of the best teams in the AFC to out of the playoffs altogether if it began today.
In ESPN Field Yates’ latest mock draft, he has the Jets sending both of their first-round picks (numbers seven and 18) and a Day 2 pick to the Giants for the No. 1 overall selection. Yates has the Jets drafting Mendoza, which would make a lot of fans who want the team to tank the final four games very happy.
The Jets could obviously wait until the 2027 NFL Draft to select a quarterback. However, that wouldn’t be wise for a few reasons.
Gang Green will miss the playoffs for the 15th consecutive season. They also haven’t had a winning season since 2015, when the Jets finished 10-6 and barely missed the playoffs.
A lot of fans have criticized Jets coach Aaron Glenn at various points in the season. Would Jets fans patiently wait for the team to add maybe a quarterback like Texas’ Arch Manning or Ohio State’s Julian Sayin while going through another losing season with rising ticket prices at MetLife Stadium? Also, injuries happen all the time in sports, and there’s no guarantee that Manning or Sayin would stay healthy or even have a productive enough year in 2027 to warrant being selected in the top five.
Jets general manager Darren Mougey has done a great job of accumulating draft assets, giving them flexibility for both 2026 and 2027. But he shouldn’t be frightened to make a drastic move to get Mendoza and Moore. In Yates’ deal, the Jets can maintain that flexibility while not giving up the farm to draft a quarterback.
Clearly, the Jets have some interest in Mendoza. Otherwise, Mougey, senior football advisor Rick Spielman and the Jets brass wouldn’t have attended Indiana’s game against Penn State last month.
In theory, draft picks give fans hope that the team can bring in top talent. Yes, the Jets have several needs at other key positions, like wide receiver and possibly along the offensive and defensive lines. But they are projected to have $98.2 million of salary cap space available next offseason, which can address quite a few needs in free agency.
Mendoza has all the tools to be successful in Tanner Engstrand’s offense. At 6-5, 225 pounds, he has the stature of a traditional pocket passer along with the accuracy and ball placement that will translate well to the NFL.
Watching Mendoza play is similar to seeing Detroit’s Jared Goff every Sunday, someone Glenn saw firsthand every day when he was the Lions’ defensive coordinator for four seasons (2021-24). Both are intelligent players who rely on their timing and accuracy to put the ball in the perfect spot. While they may not be the most mobile guys in the world, Mendoza and Goff have enough athletic ability to escape defenders inside and out of the pocket.
The Jets have tried to find a quarterback in several ways over the last two decades. They have acquired order veterans who were past their prime in Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. They tried to draft a splashy, less-seasoned quarterback they hoped to groom in Zach Wilson and that was a complete unmitigated disaster. They even tried the retread route and signed Justin Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract, hoping he could turn his career around in a different zip code, and all that has translated to the worst passing attack in the league.
Now it is time to go the movie “Draft Day” route and do whatever it takes to bring Mendoza to MetLife Stadium in 2026. If the Jets wait until 2027, they might miss their chance to get a top quarterback if you’re picking late in 2027, so get your guy in Mendoza or Moore if you genuinely believe in them.
