Until the New York Jets find a long-term solution, their quarterback situation will continue to hinder the team’s progress.

Gang Green has tried several options during a 15-year playoff drought. Multiple top-five picks, a future Hall-of-Famer, and bridge gambles have all been attempted by the organization over the years.

None of those options has worked out.

In 2026, the Jets are opting for a player from their past to potentially solve their quarterback issues. Geno Smith, the team’s second-round pick in 2013, was acquired in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders at the start of the offseason.

Smith won’t be the only new quarterback on the roster, though. General manager Darren Mougey hinted at what’s coming next.

Jets address quarterback questions

Speaking at the NFL owners meetings in Arizona on Monday, Mougey first explained that, although the team seems content with its current quarterback room, another addition could be on the way before the draft.

“We feel good about the quarterback room, but we could potentially add another guy to the room before the draft,” he said. “We’ll see where that goes, but we’ll monitor that quarterback market and see where we’re at.”

Outside of the starter in Smith, New York has Bailey Zappe and former undrafted free agent Brady Cook as backups. Zappe has nine career starts in his three seasons in the NFL with 14 touchdowns to 16 interceptions. His record is 4-5 in those starts.

Cook, meanwhile, got playing time down the stretch for the Jets last season. The rookie didn’t win a start and struggled mightily to say the least.

Mougey’s acknowledgment that he is still willing to address the position over the next few weeks is telling. It would be foolish for the team to be one injury away from putting Cook or Zappe on the field as a starter.

When it comes to the draft, though, Mougey detailed what the team is potentially looking for in a quarterback, most notably Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.

“We want the biggest sample size we can, it’s always projections with all these draft players,” Mougey said. “So the bigger the sample size, you naturally might feel a little better about it. But we’ll still evaluate him and there’s a lot of good things to see in the games he did play.”

“It was a good visit with Ty, really enjoyed the time down there”

Darren Mougey talks about the Jets’ pre-draft visit with Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson: pic.twitter.com/Ryc806RHYF

— Jets Videos (@snyjets) March 30, 2026

Of the available quarterbacks expected when the Jets make their picks, Mougey’s answer could be an eliminator for Simpson. The 23-year-old only started 15 games in his college career.

Compared to other prospects like LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier or Penn State’s Drew Allar, the Jets may be inclined to wait to take a quarterback as opposed to taking a gamble on Simpson.

That would align with Mougey’s comments, at least.

New York may feel confident in what they have with Geno Smith, who was recently announced as the team’s Week 1 starter by head coach Aaron Glenn. But they still have questions regarding who will back him up.

According to their GM, a pre-draft addition is very much on the table.