For the very first time in the 2026 season, a cap has been placed on the New York Jets’ future.

The Jets’ utterly embarrassing 2025 season has turned into nothing more than a pursuit of the highest possible pick in the 2026 NFL draft. A large portion of the fanbase has turned to rooting for New York to lose throughout December.

For once, the Jets had begun to give fans what they wanted. Not only did the Jets go 0-4 in December, but they left nothing in doubt, setting an NFL record with a -107 point differential, the worst in league history for the month of December.

Unfortunately, though, Jets fans’ dreams of picking first overall in the 2026 NFL draft have been shattered.

With the Atlanta Falcons’ win over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football, the Las Vegas Raiders have clinched a weaker strength of schedule than the Jets, which means that it is no longer possible for New York (3-13) to pass Las Vegas (2-14) in the draft order.

In turn, the Jets’ ceiling in the 2026 NFL draft is now the second overall pick.

Here is how the draft order looks after Week 17’s events:

Las Vegas Raiders (2-14, .542 SOS)

New York Giants (3-13, .531 SOS)

New York Jets (3-13, .550 SOS)

Tennessee Titans (3-13, .574 SOS)

Arizona Cardinals (3-13, .577 SOS)

Cleveland Browns (4-12, .491 SOS)

Washington Commanders (4-12, .509 SOS)

New Orleans Saints (6-10, .493 SOS)

Kansas City Chiefs (6-10, .509 SOS)

Cincinnati Bengals (6-10, .517 SOS)

The Jets can climb to the second overall pick with a loss (at Buffalo) and a Giants win (vs. Dallas). However, even if the Jets lose and the Raiders win, Las Vegas is ensured to win the tiebreaker.

It’s a disappointing result for a Jets team that has arguably been the NFL’s worst this season. Their Simple Rating System (a metric that adjusts a team’s average point differential for its strength of schedule) is -12.0, the worst in the NFL this season. It is also on track to finish as the second-worst mark in Jets franchise history, only beating out the 1976 team.

The Jets are the worst team in the NFL. Unfortunately, they will not be rewarded with a corresponding draft pick. It’s just another stroke of awful luck for a franchise that expects nothing less on a yearly basis.