At 3-11, it’s been evaluation time for the Jets for a few weeks.
In what’s been a nightmare first season for coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey, the Jets have several key decisions to make this offseason.
Obviously, the quarterback position is at the center of the Jets issues after the failed Justin Fields experiment. They signed him to a two-year, $40 million contract in hopes of Fields turning his career around with a different team. However, Fields’ contract was among the worst for any free agent last year, and the Jets will still owe him $10 million whether he remains on the team or not.
Outside of just the quarterback position, the Jets also have a few other big decisions to make before the start of the new league year, which is on March 11. With three weeks remaining in the season, it’s time to take a peek into the offseason.
Should the Jets re-sign Breece Hall?
There was some thought that Hall would be moved at the trade deadline, but the Jets didn’t receive any offers that coerced them to ship the 24-year-old out of town. Now they will need to decide whether to give Hall a long-term deal, but it is not a simple decision.
However, it feels like the Jets need to find a way to keep Hall with a possible rookie quarterback in place. The franchise tag for running backs next year is projected at $13.6 million. The Jets could offer Hall a more team-friendly deal by signing him to a three-year contract for about the same amount and spreading the guaranteed money over the term.
Hall has been one of the few offensive weapons this year for the Jets. In 14 games, he has 900 yards with three touchdowns. He also has 32 receptions for 323 yards and a touchdown.
The Jets don’t have many offensive weapons. Which is why they need to keep Hall, who could be a foundational piece for the next few seasons, if he returns, that is.
Will McDonald’s fifth-year option?
Throughout training camp and the preseason, Glenn and Jets coaches talked ad nauseam about how much bigger and faster McDonald was. But after his 10.5-sack season, McDonald has been a massive disappointment in 2025.
While McDonald does have seven sacks this season, four of those came during the Week 10 win against the Browns. Two more of them came in the season-opening loss to the Steelers. Outside of that, McDonald has just one game in which he has registered a sack (Cincinnati).
I would not pick up McDonald’s option simply because the consistent production hasn’t been there. At times, he hasn’t been noticeable on the field, and when he is, players and quarterbacks like Trevor Lawrence on Sunday have run past him.
If the Jets were to exercise McDonald’s option, they would be on the hook for a guaranteed $14.9 million in 2027. The Jets defense took a clear step back in 2025, and they need to find defensive linemen who can be effective against the run and the pass, and McDonald has not consistently been effective in that role.
The Jets should be able to get some value for McDonald on the trade market if they choose to go that route. We also aren’t sure who will be the long-term defensive coordinator, which could factor into whether to keep McDonald.
Can the Jets find another offensive weapon besides Garrett Wilson?
Wilson was poised to have a massive year for the Jets. But two knee injuries limited him to just seven games, and it appears Wilson will not be activated off injured reserve before the end of the 2025 season.
With Wilson expected to be healthy and ready to go for next year, the Jets need to find more weapons to take pressure off of the 25-year-old. Mike Evans and Alec Pierce will be two of the top free-agent receivers available during the offseason. However, this year’s draft is full of talented receivers who would provide an upgrade to the Jets offense.
Among the receivers expected to be available for the 2026 NFL Draft are USC’s Makai Lemon, Washington’s Denzel Boston, and Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion. Depending on the status of Braelon Allen, who underwent season-ending surgery, the Jets could also draft a running back later in the draft. One name that could make sense is Penn State’s Nicholas Singleton, who catches the ball well out of the backfield and is a solid downhill runner.
Who will be the new defensive coordinator?
On Monday, Jets coach Aaron Glenn fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks after two abysmal performances against the Dolphins and Jaguars. Chris Harris is the interim defensive coordinator for the final three games, so that he will get the first crack at the permanent role. If Harris doesn’t get the defensive coordinator position, top candidates could include former Jet Jim Leonhard, the Broncos pass game coordinator, Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, and Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon, if Arizona were to fire him following the season.
Whoever becomes the Jets’ defensive coordinator will hope to turn around that, which regressed horribly under Wilks. After ranking in the top three in defense for the previous three seasons, the Jets are 20th in yards (337.4) and 30th in points allowed (28.4).
