During the 2025 NFL season, the New York Jets fully embraced the rebuild, trading away Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner. Moving on from the young cornerback wasn’t easy, but landing two first-rounders plus Adonai Mitchell was hard to pass up.

But now, with Gardner off the team, the Jets desperately need a top cornerback. They have some interesting options on the roster, but landing another outside option is a must this offseason.

ESPN’s Matt Bowen named the Jets as the best fit for a polarizing Seattle Seahawks cornerback in Tariq Woolen. Woolen has had his ups and downs with the Seahawks, but he’d be a great replacement for Gardner in New York on Aaron Glenn’s defense.

Jets named as best fit for Seahawks’ Tariq Woolen

“The Jets allowed 57 completions of 20 or more yards in 2025, seventh most in the league,” Bowen writes. “Adding Woolen, a 6-foot-5 corner with high-end physical tools and speed, fits under coach Aaron Glenn’s defense.”

Adding help to the Jets defensive backfield is a must this offseason, and Woolen, coming off a Super Bowl 60 victory with the Seahawks dominant defense, would be a fun addition.

He is a bit more polarizing than some of the other free agent cornerbacks on the market. While he has some great highs, being able to shut down the best wide receivers in the NFL, his lowlights are not the best.

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Woolen had a brutal two-play sequence against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship, where he taunted the Los Angeles Rams sideline to gift them a free first down on 4th and long, then immediately gave up a long touchdown.

While that lowlight doesn’t paint him in a good light, the highlights, with 12 interceptions and 53 passes defended over the last four years, make him a great free agent target.

Woolen is one of the faster cornerbacks in the league, and with his big size, he’s capable of playing tight coverage against any wide receiver in the NFL.

Bowen is naming the Jets as Woolen’s best fit this offseason, which would be a very interesting pairing for Glenn’s defense, which is looking to fill the void Gardner left behind as he was dealt to the Indianapolis Colts.

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