Texas QB Arch Manning has been touted as the 2027 NFL Draft’s No. 1 overall pick since he was in high school. But before free agency even begins, one team is being tipped to “tank” their season to get in that position to land him.
That team is the New York Jets. Reports have circulated this week that the Jets are considering acquiring a veteran but underwhelming quarterback option in either Geno Smith or Carson Wentz.
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Some pundits are projecting that if this is the team’s strategy, it shows that they are intentionally trying to lose this season in order to be in the best position to draft him.
“If the Jets sign Geno Smith and Carson Wentz to get them through 2026, they might as well turn in their 2027 draft card right now for Arch Manning. The draft will be in Washington, so easy trip for Jets fans. Anxious Jets fans need not worry about him refusing to play for Jets. That won’t happen,” longtime New York sports writer Gary Myers wrote on X today.
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Awful, but never the worst
NFL fans have seen this song and dance before though. It happened in 1996 and 1997 when the Jets failed to tank for Peyton Manning, it happened again in 2020 when they failed to tank for Trevor Lawrence, and it failed once again this past year when they failed to tank for Fernando Mendoza.
The Jets are always awful, but never awful enough to get that coveted pick when there’s a consensus top QB prospect available. And the fans know it:
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“The problem is that the Jets could be a horrible team next season and still not get the #1 pick. The 1st tiebreaker comes down to strength of schedule, and the Jets will have a schedule difficulty rating in the top third of the league,” one user remarked.
“Jets will somehow win just enough to not pick #1-3 in 2027.. we’ve seen this story too many times. #jets,” wrote another.
“I will believe that when I see it,” a third wrote.
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Woody Johnson, primary owner of the New York Jets, is shown during a press conference, at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center, Monday, January 27, 2025, in Florham Park.© Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.
(© Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.)
And even if, somehow, the Jets manage to land Arch Manning, they’ve proven so utterly inept at developing a quarterback that he’ll probably look terrible with them before either washing out or being traded somewhere else to thrive like Sam Darnold did.
Simply put, the Jets are a failed franchise and exist only for other NFL teams to bully.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Mar 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.