I know it. You know it. Your grandma probably knows it.

The New York Jets need a quarterback.

It’s been true for the better part of the last five decades.

Armed with the second overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft, the Jets will feel as enticed as ever to select a potential franchise signal-caller. After a 2025 season in which the Jets set an all-time franchise low by averaging 1.78 fewer net yards per pass attempt than the league average, their desperation for an elite quarterback has never been greater.

Considering the circumstances, it seems like a given that the Jets should take a quarterback in the first round of this year’s draft. If they don’t want to do it with the second overall pick, they’ll have another chance 14 slots later with the pick they acquired from the Indianapolis Colts.

But what if the Jets don’t take a quarterback in the first round?

Here are five appealing reasons why the Jets should consider avoiding the quarterback position in the first round of the 2026 draft.

1. The risk may be too great to justify the swing

In most years, taking a quarterback with the No. 2 selection would be a no-brainer for the Jets. However, the unfortunate reality is that New York has landed the second overall pick in a draft that features a notoriously weak quarterback class.

From an overall talent standpoint, the Jets would probably be reaching to take any quarterback with the second overall pick. The same can be argued for the 16th overall pick.

As we know, though, the desperation for a star quarterback trumps anything else when it comes to the NFL draft. Every year, flawed quarterbacks fly up the draft board once teams realize how little anything else matters if they don’t have a franchise quarterback.

It is possible that the Jets will be the latest team to reach on a quarterback in the first round simply because they don’t have one. However, it is fair to wonder whether that would be the right play.

As daunting as it may be for patience-deprived Jets fans to accept the idea of punting the quarterback pursuit to 2027, it may ultimately be the best decision for the franchise’s future. That’s because the risk may be too great to justify the swing.

If the Jets whiff on a quarterback in the first round of the 2026 draft, it cannot be understated how far it would set the franchise back.

With a struggling rookie quarterback, the Jets would probably not win many games in 2026, which means Aaron Glenn would likely be fired during or after the 2026 season. That would leave the rookie playing for a second head coach by 2027, with the Jets hoping that the new coach can save him the way that Ben Johnson and Liam Coen have done for their quarterbacks.

But if the kid flat-out isn’t good, which is a feasible possibility for prospects like Dante Moore and Ty Simpson (and even Fernando Mendoza), his underperformance could get the second coach fired, too.

After the prospect gets his default three years to figure things out, the Jets would be back on the quarterback market in 2029, and they might be looking for their second new head coach post-Glenn, too.

If they want to avoid having their playoff drought reach two decades, the Jets must get their next quarterback pick right. If they need to wait one more year to maximize their chances of picking the correct guy, it would be worthwhile.

2. The 2027 quarterback class should be better

The numbers are daunting for this year’s top prospects. Based on their performance in the most predictive metrics, none of the quarterbacks in the first-round conversation has a profile that suggests they have a strong chance of succeeding in the NFL. In fact, each prospect’s five closest comparisons are populated by some of the biggest first-round disappointments of the past decade.

The 2027 quarterback class is expected to be much more formidable than this year’s.

I know, I know: They say this every year.

“This quarterback class stinks. Next year’s is going to be awesome.”

Then, all of the supposedly amazing prospects have terrible years, and the cycle continues. For instance, Cade Klubnik and Garrett Nussmeier were getting first-overall hype before the 2025 season, and now, neither is expected to be a first-round pick.

It is ridiculous to base your plans on future draft prospects who have yet to even play their final college season. So much can change for a college football player’s NFL outlook over the course of one season.

With that being said, it is fair to compare the current class to previous classes and use that information to estimate how likely it is that the following class will be stronger.

The reality is that the 2026 quarterback class is one of the weakest we have seen in recent memory. Prospects like Dante Moore and Ty Simpson would not be first-rounders in most, if not all, of the recent NFL drafts. Even Fernando Mendoza’s status as a shoo-in No. 1 pick is questionable when comparing him to the prospects who usually go first overall.

We have no idea who exactly will be the top quarterback prospects in 2027 after a full season of football, but we can say with a fairly solid degree of confidence that the options will look better than they do today.

Perhaps the Jets will not be picking second overall in 2027 (at least, they hope not), which amplifies the argument to select one while you are fortunate enough to do it without trading up. But the Jets have more than enough picks in 2027 to trade up if they absolutely have to, which gives them the buffer to avoid feeling the need to desperately reach for one in 2026.

You have to get the quarterback pick right, because once you take one, you’re pretty much stuck with him for at least three years, barring a Josh Rosen-level catastrophe. For that reason, one year of waiting is worthwhile if it means you will likely have a chance to select from a better crop of prospects.

3. Chance to build up a tremendous supporting cast around a future rookie QB

Before the 2027 season kicks off, the Jets are poised to add five first-round picks and three second-round picks to their roster.

With the gargantuan collection of assets New York is set to utilize over the next two years, it is tantalizing to think about how strong the Jets’ roster could look by Week 1 of 2027 if they utilize those assets correctly. It creates an appealing scenario where the Jets opt to build a castle around a future rookie quarterback rather than thrusting a 2026 rookie into a makeshift fort that is still under construction.

By using both of their 2026 first-rounders on non-quarterbacks, the Jets will add one more premium piece to a depth chart that is already poised to add plenty of them over the next two offseasons. The Jets can get a top-tier offensive lineman or offensive weapon with the pick that would otherwise be allocated to a questionable quarterback prospect.

The Jets have a chance to spend the next two offseasons building up one of the best supporting casts that a highly drafted rookie quarterback has walked into in recent NFL history. It would require patience from the organization and fans, but the reward could be worth it.

At last, the Jets would position themselves to welcome a rookie quarterback into an ecosystem that is built to lift him up. Gone would be the days of a rookie being hung out to dry by shoddy pass protection, drop-prone receivers, and the lack of a run game.

4. Trade-down possibilities raise the ceiling to incredible levels

As many assets as the Jets already have, think about how shiny the treasure chest could become if the Jets swing a trade-down in this year’s first round.

If the Jets don’t want to take a quarterback with the second overall pick, they could start a bidding war between two quarterback-needy teams in the top six, the Arizona Cardinals (No. 3 overall) and the Cleveland Browns (No. 6 overall), to net a haul of extra picks.

There is also a wealth of trade-down options from the No. 16 slot. Say the Jets pass on a quarterback at No. 2, and one of either Dante Moore or Ty Simpson is still available at No. 16. Then, the Jets could field calls from teams in the back half of the first round who might be interested in a developmental quarterback, such as the Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 16) and the Los Angeles Rams (No. 29). The Browns also have the No. 24 slot and could look to trade up if they do not take a quarterback earlier on.

Whether they trade down from No. 2 or No. 16, the Jets could find themselves with at least six first-round picks over the next two years. At that point, the Jets would have to be unimaginably incompetent to not build a playoff-caliber team within the next few years.

The Jets could weaponize their hoard of premium picks in a number of different ways. They could select a player with each pick, trade some of them to move up the board for preferred prospects who fit their schemes, or trade them for proven veteran stars.

With each of their 2026 first-rounders, there is arguably more value to be gained for the Jets by turning it into multiple premium picks than by burning it to roll the dice on a quarterback with a low chance of success.

5. Get another year to evaluate Aaron Glenn

Aaron Glenn is entering the 2026 season on the hot seat. That is the reality after his team went 3-14 and looked historically bad in the process.

Considering the complete lack of evidence that Glenn is capable of leading a playoff-caliber NFL team, the Jets would be wise to evaluate Glenn for another year before entrusting him with the development of a player whose success will determine the fate of the franchise.

Throwing a rookie quarterback into the fire under a lame-duck head coach is a recipe for disaster. The Jets saw it in 2018 when they kept Todd Bowles for a fourth season and proceeded to trade up for Sam Darnold.

Bowles (a defensive-minded coach, like Glenn) struggled to help Darnold establish a solid foundation, and he was fired at the end of the year. It set Darnold on the wrong track to begin his career, and he ultimately flamed out in New York. Darnold needed more than a half-decade to fix the scars that he began developing in his rookie year.

Glenn did nothing in his first season to suggest that he offers a reliable chance of spearheading a competitive NFL team or developing a quarterback. This does not mean he is ruled out from achieving those things, but the fact of the matter is that he has not provided any reasons for outsiders to feel confident that he will achieve them. That’s why the Jets need to learn more about his coaching chops before investing in an all-important rookie quarterback.

Give Glenn a solid stopgap veteran at quarterback, and allocate all of the cap space and draft picks to fleshing out the defensive and offensive depth charts. From there, Glenn will have everything he needs to prove that he is a respectable head coach who should be trusted with a rookie quarterback.

That’s not to say that Glenn should be expected to lead a championship pursuit in 2026. It simply means that, with the assets the Jets have, they should be able to build a roster that is more than capable of competing for a .500 record with proper coaching, especially if they use both first-rounders on non-quarterbacks.

If Glenn has a successful year, the Jets can confidently hand him a rookie quarterback in 2027. If he fails to significantly improve upon his ghastly debut season, they can dump him and start over with a new coach who offers a better chance of success. It would be particularly appealing to hire an offensive-minded head coach.

As much as the Jets need to select the right quarterback, it is equally important that they have the right staff to develop that quarterback. We don’t know if they have that at the moment. But if they give it one more year, we’ll have a much better idea.