After a disappointing loss in the Peach Bowl, Dante Moore is staying in school.
On Wednesday, the deadline for underclassmen not playing in the national championship game, Moore announced on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” that he would remain at Oregon for his redshirt sophomore season.
“At the end of the day, I feel like I can still learn so much more,” Moore said. “Of course as a kid, since four years old, I’ve dreamed about being in the NFL, but we’re been through a lot and I feel like we have exciting things coming this year.
“I’m excited to keep pushing my team.”
Moore’s decision to turn down a potential $46 million in guaranteed money to stay in school will have seismic effects on this year’s draft.
The Raiders will pick first overall, and it is widely expected they will draft Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza if he declares. The Jets, who are picking second, also need a quarterback. But there isn’t one worth taking that high at No. 2.
They will also draft at No. 16 overall after trading Sauce Gardner to the Colts at the trade deadline and have four picks in the top 44.
It is expected that the Jets will release Justin Fields after a disappointing season, following his signing of a two-year, $40 million contract last March. He was benched after nine games in which he registered a QBR of 38.5, well below his career average of 45.3.
During his final five starts, Fields passed for 505 yards, prompting Jets coach Aaron Glenn to pull the plug and bench him. In nine games, Fields passed for 1,259 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception.
“We had a clear vision for Justin and a good plan,” Jets general manager Darren Mougey said when asked why the team decided to sign Fields. “Now obviously, the season didn’t go as planned and that’s for many reasons.
“There’s not one person, player, coach, system of why we ended winning three games, but that’s part of this week’s process, it’s us diving in and really reflecting on the season and the lessons learned moving forward.”
The Jets have been searching for a franchise quarterback for decades. Mougey also said he and the rest of the brass will “exhaust” every avenue to find a starting quarterback this offseason.
Alabama’s Ty Simpson is likely the only other quarterback who could be selected in the first round of the draft. He declared on Tuesday despite reportedly having NIL offers from Alabama, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Miami up to $6.5 million.
Simpson will enter the draft with significant questions about his lack of experience. He started only 15 games at Alabama after sitting behind Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe. Simpson passed for 3,567 yards, with 28 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Quarterbacks with limited college experience are drafted mainly for their potential and raw talent. Recently, examples include Mitchell Trubisky, Anthony Richardson and Trey Lance, all of whom were draft busts after starting fewer than 20 games in college.
With five draft picks, including three in 2027 because of the Gardner and Quinnen Williams trade to the Cowboys, the Jets could punt on selecting a QB this year and sign a veteran instead. However, they are coming off a 3-14 season and many fans have called for Glenn to be fired following a poor showing in their final five games.
The Jets aren’t expected to fire Glenn, but he could make changes to his coaching staff.
The biggest question the Jets face is whether they have the infrastructure to even support a young quarterback. The last two quarterbacks the Jets drafted, Sam Darnold and Zach Wilson, both started immediately but were traded years later after struggling mightily in green and white.
If the Jets release Fields, they will need a bridge quarterback. They will also need to improve the offensive talent to help whoever the quarterback is in 2026. The Jets were 29th in yards (263.6) and points scored (17.6).
“That’s a whole part of, man, making sure that we evaluate everything that’s going on, make sure we have the right people here that can help the quarterback,” Glenn said. “And I’m not saying we don’t have that. That’s something that we have to continue to look at.
“So, that’s not a question I can sit here and say, ‘Listen, we have that.’ Listen, we are going to evaluate everything and we’re going to exhaust everything to make sure we surround every one of our guys with the right staff, with the right strength and conditioning, with the right medical, to make sure those guys are successful.”
