The Jets season is over. They’ve missed the playoffs for a 15th straight season. All that’s left now is to determine where they will select in the 2026 NFL Draft. With that in mind, I think we often wait too long to talk about free agency. At this point we have a good idea of who will hit the market and who will get tagged. Sure, some teams may re-sign players early, but that doesn’t happen often.
So let’s take a look at the positions where the Jets need help and who may be available. With likely more than $100 million in cap space after expected cuts, everyone will be on the table for the Jets.
The Jets will once again be in the quarterback market. Justin Fields is likely to be cut, and while it’s expected the Jets will draft a starter it’s not a guarantee. Who could the Jets target?
Russell Wilson: The future Hall of Famer is at the end of his career. But could he lead the Jets for just one season before they turn their attention to the 2027 draft class? Could he do enough to save the jobs of Glenn and Mougey?
Marcus Mariota: The veteran was the primary quarterback for the Washington Commanders for most of the season with Jayden Daniels dealing with injuries. It hasn’t been pretty, but Mariota is still an effective backup and bottom tier starter if the Jets want someone to command a tank for a season.
Kenny Pickett: A former starter for the Steelers, Pickett has spent this year as a backup in Las Vegas. Could the year watching have helped him? He could have the highest realistic upside of any free agent quarterback.
Mitch Trubisky: Josh Allen’s long term backup. Trubisky could be a safe option to lead the Jets offense as a former starting QB who’s even led a team to the playoffs before. But he has turned down larger offers to remain in Buffalo before.
Malik Willis: An all-time athlete and now Jordan Love’s backup. The upside is through the roof, but he’s never lived up to it. He’s played winning football for the Packers when called upon with Love injured. Is he ready for a second try as a starter?
Gardner Minshew: A most of the time underappreciated starter. Minshew has shown that at his best he can be a league average starter. His consistency has never been there though, and he’s never played on a winning team, which has left him relegated to backup duty for most of his career. He’s spent this year with Mahomes and Reid in Kansas City. Perhaps that’s what he’s needed to gain the consistency for a career resurgence.
Sam Howell: The former Washington starter has been a backup for the Eagles this year. Interceptions squashed what once felt like the start of a franchise QB career. He might give a team the best middle ground between upside and tank commanding.
The Jets are in need of multiple WRs, but with the team almost certain to draft one I’m going to focus on those with proven WR3 ability with the upside to be WR2s. It’s a limited market in that area, but if the Jets hit the right one it could turn this group from a weakness into a strength with Garrett Wilson and a rookie leading the way.
Christian Kirk: He’s about to be on the wrong side of 30 and he’s having a second straight bad year. But when he’s right Kirk has shown an ability to be a game breaker at times.
Deebo Samuel: He’s not the player he once was, but Deebo is still an effective third option for an offense. The question is whether or not, at 30 years+, he has anything left in the tank or if he’s in full on regression.
Jakobi Meyers: He’s topped 800 receiving yards every year since 2021 and he would have done it again this year if not for injuries. Again, he’s about to be 30 years old, but he’s not showing decline on the field. If he stays healthy, he seems a safe bet to be a decent third option at WR even if he declines a little.
Jauan Jennings: He was a near 1,000 yard receiver in 2024, and he has regressed this season in part due to injuries. If he plays at the level he has over the last two season he’s a strong bet to be a good WR3, though his upside does appear more limited than the others on this list given he only has one year of production.
Rashid Shaheed: An elite returner and a big play machine, Shahid has never really been a consistent player, and he’s dealt with injuries in the past. That said, there’s no WR on the market who’s going to have higher upside given his age and his athletic traits.
George Pickens: It’s unlikely that the Cowboys will franchise tag the temperamental WR. Pickens has shown an ability to be an elite WR on the field at times with two seasons over 1,100 yards. However, he can never seem to get out of his own way, and he’s viewed by many as a locker room cancer. Is Aaron Glenn going to be the guy that gets full buy in when not even Mike Tomlin could? And is that a bet you want to make when he’s going to need a contract to match his talent level, probably in the range of 30 mil a year?
Alec Pierce: He’s the NFL’s premier deep threat, leading the league in yards per reception for a second straight season. Pierce is mostly a one trick pony, but when that one trick is big plays you take it. Pierce is likely to surpass 800 yards receiving for a second straight season, and he appears to finally be finding his stride in the league. But if his next offensive play caller doesn’t know how to use him, it could be a steep decline.
Romeo Doubs: He’s put up WR3 numbers in Green Bay each of the last three seasons. Feels like a safe bet to continue to work as a WR3, so long as that’s the expectation and price paid.
The Jets need a ton of help on the IOL. Alijah Vera-Tucker is a free agent, so is John Simpson, and Josh Myers. Joe Tippmann has finally settled in and is playing like a top-10 guard in the league since Week 8. My bet is the Jets want to keep him there now. So the Jets need both a guard and a center. Perhaps they target one in the draft, but free agency has shown to be great for the IOL market for most of the league the last few years.
Ed Ingram: The Houston Texans guard is among the best run blockers in the game. Of guards who’ve played at least 50% of snaps this season he’s 5th in run block grade. However, he’s been a liability as a pass blocker, with just a 62.0 grade. It should be noted this is the first season Ingram has played well in his career. Perhaps Houston unlocked something in him that Minnesota couldn’t, or perhaps it’s just a career year.
Dylan Parham: The young guard had a breakout 2024, but he hasn’t followed that up with the same level of play. However, the Raiders have been a dumpster fire this season, and it’s possible Parham is just a victim of the poor performance of that team overall.
Chris Paul: The Washington Commanders guard is the opposite of Ed Ingram. He’s been a phenomenal pass blocker, giving up just 12 pressures the entire season. However, he has just a 47.0 run block grade, 52nd of the 59 guards to play 50% of snaps. It should be noted that was reversed in 2024 when Paul had a 72.4 run block grade but only a 44.2 pass block grade.
Connor McGovern: No, not the one who previously played for the Jets. McGovern was drafted by the Cowboys to play guard, but he has settled in with the Bills as a center. This is his second straight season playing as an above average center, and he hasn’t posted a pass block grade below 68 since his rookie season.
Tyler Linderbaum: One of the NFL’s premier centers. Linderbaum is elite at his position and likely to command record setting money at center.