Teams picking high in the NFL draft are often there for one reason: They don’t have a franchise quarterback.

Thus, a large percentage of top-five picks are utilized on prospects with the potential to become franchise quarterbacks. When a team makes this type of pick, the plan is not for the player to immediately turn the franchise around, but rather to develop him patiently.

But if these franchises were capable of patiently developing a young quarterback… wouldn’t they have done it already?

Therein lies the irony of picking quarterbacks at the top of the draft: Most of the teams that do it are bringing these prized young prospects into awful situations.

That’s how you end up in the cycle that teams like the New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, and Cleveland Browns cannot seem to escape.

Be bad enough to take young quarterback high in the draft

Take young quarterback

Ruin young quarterback due to poor support

Lose lots of games due to struggling young quarterback

Repeat

The fear of this cycle is why many fans and analysts believe the perpetually quarterback-needy Jets would be best-served punting their search to the 2027 draft. As a 2-8 team with one of the least talented rosters in football, why not take an extra year to bolster the supporting cast before bringing a young quarterback into the building?

It’s a strategy that would align with the Jets’ recent moves. At the trade deadline, the Jets traded two of their best defensive players for a backloaded haul of assets that leans toward the 2027 draft. New York netted one first-round pick and one second-round pick in 2026, but two first-round picks in 2027, with one of those being the better selection of two teams (Dallas and Green Bay), increasing its potential to skyrocket up the board.

Because of this setup, the Jets can continue strengthening their infrastructure in 2026 while still having ample ammunition to make an aggressive quarterback trade in 2027 if they slide too far down the draft board.

Furthering the case for this strategy is the underwhelming nature of the 2026 quarterback class. There are intriguing prospects who will be taken near the top of the first round, but most of them did not burst onto the scene until a few months ago.

Many of the blue-chip prospects who have long been projected to go early in the 2026 draft have endured wildly underwhelming 2025 seasons, weakening the class. There are no “can’t miss” guys here, so the Jets could very well decide that they don’t like any of these prospects enough to force a pick in 2026 when they could return to the well in 2027.

The stars are aligning for the Jets to punt their quarterback pursuit to 2027.

Or are they?

Despite the many valid reasons that New York could still elect to bypass the 2026 quarterback class, these reasons tend to ignore what’s actually happening on the football field right now. Quietly, the Jets are building a strong case to draft a quarterback in 2026.

Yes, the Jets are losing games aplenty. Yes, their roster is paper-thin, and their offense looks atrocious.

But the ugly results can be largely pinned on the quarterback position itself. Justin Fields is putting together one of the most pitiful runs for a starting quarterback in modern NFL history. He became the first starter with four sub-60-yard passing performances within his team’s first nine games since 1973.

READ MORE: Willie Colon rips Jets QB Justin Fields: ‘He’s not an NFL QB’

Around the quarterback, though, positive things are happening. As those positives grow more and more consistent, it’s beginning to look like the Jets might already have an ideal situation for a young quarterback to step into.

Quality young tackles

Fans tend to fixate on wide receivers and running backs when discussing a quarterback’s supporting cast, but the tackles are arguably more important.

Nothing can deeply embed scars within the mind of a young quarterback quite like pressure off the edge. Just look at what Sam Darnold endured in New York, and how long it took him to erase the damage of what the Jets’ offensive line put him through.

When you scan through the best rookie quarterback seasons and young quarterback development stories over the past decade, it’s hard to find examples that do not include quality tackle play on the outside.

Each of the following young quarterbacks at least had a Pro Bowl/All-Pro left tackle, and most also had a solid starter on their right side.

Jaxson Dart (2025 rookie year): LT Andrew Thomas

Bo Nix (2024 rookie year): LT Garett Bolles and RT Mike McGlinchey

C.J. Stroud (2023 rookie year): LT Laremy Tunsil and RT George Fant

Brock Purdy (2023 rookie year): LT Trent Williams and RT Mike McGlinchey

Jalen Hurts (2020 rookie year): LT Jordan Mailata and RT Lane Johnson

Patrick Mahomes (2018, first season as starter): LT Eric Fisher and RT Mitchell Schwartz

Lamar Jackson (2018 rookie year): LT Ronnie Stanley and RT Orlando Brown Jr.

Josh Allen (2018 rookie year): LT Dion Dawkins

Dak Prescott (2016 rookie year): LT Tyron Smith

The Jets are poised to give their next quarterback the same type of protection.

Second-year left tackle Olu Fashanu and rookie right tackle Armand Membou are becoming one of the best young bookend duos in the NFL. They’ve been trending up all season, and Thursday night’s prime-time battle with a top-notch Patriots defensive line was an exclamation point in their upward trajectories.

Across 66 combined pass-blocking snaps, Fashanu and Membou allowed just four pressures (three for Fashanu, one for Membou). Impressively, they achieved this despite Justin Fields averaging 3.16 seconds to throw.

Fashanu’s performance earned a 79.5 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus. Since Week 6, he has the eighth-best pass-blocking grade among left tackles (80.2).

Membou posted a 77.7 pass-blocking grade for his efforts against New England’s top-five scoring defense, bringing his season-long grade to 72.1, ranking 11th-best among right tackles.

Clean pockets were a regularity. Fields and the Jets’ receivers didn’t always capitalize on them, but the film shows an appealing situation for a rookie quarterback to jump into.

#Jets‘ young OTs keep trending up

– Olu Fashanu vs. NE: 3 pressures allowed on 33 reps & 79.5 pass-block grade

Fashanu now has the #10 pass-block grade among OT since Wk 6 (80.2).

– Armand Membou vs. NE: 1 pressure allowed, 77.7 pass-block grade

Some great pockets last night: pic.twitter.com/OuT207nTaE

— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) November 14, 2025

The most exciting aspect of this for New York is that the two tackles are a combined 43 years old. They should only get better from here, which means next year’s Jets starter could be enjoying top-five protection on both edges.

Tanner Engstrand looks the part of a solid coordinator

After quality pass protection, the second-most important supporting piece for a young quarterback is arguably the offensive play-caller, whoever it may be.

In the Jets’ case, it’s offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand, who is in his first year as an OC.

There’s no stat you can point to as a way of understanding Engstrand’s value, but the film has painted him in a positive light all year long. People are routinely open in the Jets’ passing game; the Jets just don’t have a quarterback and receivers who can capitalize. Meanwhile, the run game has found ways to stay among the league’s best despite defenses focusing on stopping it.

Engstrand struggled with predictability and a lack of creativity early in the year, but he is progressively improving in those areas as the year goes on. In Thursday night’s loss to New England, Engstrand went deep into his bag of tricks. Not all of those plays were executed to perfection, but he created favorable opportunities for his players.

If Fields leads AD Mitchell in stride here, could be a TD with his speed; at least a massive gain

Instead puts it short & outside to force Mitchell into attempting a circus catch pic.twitter.com/0ny3LN4Voa

— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) November 14, 2025

Engstrand is a relatively young OC (age 43) who hails from the team leading the way in modern offensive trends. He’s the exact type of guy you want around a young quarterback.

As a first-year OC, though, growing pains were expected, and he’s certainly endured them. That’s why it’s a positive that New York has been able to buy Engstrand a year of experience before he inherits a young quarterback.

As we alluded to, there are no stats you can point to as evidence of Engstrand’s progress. The offense continues to be inept based on any metric. But when you separate Engstrand from the talent and execution of the players on the field, it’s clear that he has been a net positive.

Engstrand has proven himself as the type of guy who deserves a chance to build an offense around a talented young quarterback.

Mason Taylor is a significant asset

The Jets undoubtedly need wide receiver help. That much was evident on Thursday night.

Without Garrett Wilson, the Jets gave ample opportunities to their high-upside young receivers, and the results were mixed at best. There’s upside to be found, but these players are flawed, particularly Adonai Mitchell, who still needs a lot of work in the hands department.

AD Mitchell with a nice stutter-go to separate deep vs. Gonzalez

Could say it’s a tad underthrown but still a great ball into his hands you want to see him catch pic.twitter.com/jcPoogeWyC

— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) November 14, 2025

With that said, the Jets do have a second quarterback-friendly weapon in place: tight end Mason Taylor.

The second-round rookie continues to prove himself as a player who could be one of the best receiving tight ends in the league. All season long, Taylor has created opportunities via his separation and caught nearly every catchable pass thrown his way.

Taylor caught all four of his targets against New England for 30 yards, including a tough contested catch. On the year, Taylor has now caught 10 contested passes, the most among tight ends. He’s secured them at an 83% clip (10 of 12), tops among the 15 tight ends with at least eight contested targets.

The national media won’t peg Taylor as a significant asset in the Jets’ big-picture outlook because of his middling box score stats (276 yards and one touchdown), but those numbers belie how well he has actually played within areas he can control. Nobody in this offense will put up gaudy stats with Fields under center.

If you look at his performance individually, it’s apparent that Taylor should be viewed as a tremendous asset for the Jets’ next young quarterback. When the Jets have someone under center who is willing to take shots instead of constantly tucking-and-running, Taylor’s value will be seen by the national audience.

This is why Fields’ rushing yards are usually empty

He should be using his athleticism to get far more w/his arm

Late-Q4, down 13, Mason Taylor is open for a TD. Fields is looking at Taylor call for the ball but decides to tuck & run

12-yd pickup, but should’ve been far better pic.twitter.com/LRpy2CaJjk

— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) November 14, 2025

Garrett Wilson is still there

Don’t forget that the Jets already have a star WR1. He’s been absent for most of the past four games, and even when he was playing, it was easy to forget he was out there, since the Jets don’t have a quarterback who can consistently throw him the football.

By clinging to Garrett Wilson amidst trades of other star players, the Jets made it clear that Wilson is a core piece of their future. New York deemed him untouchable, which speaks to the value of having a player like him to support a future young quarterback.

We can talk about Wilson’s stats to try to explain his value, but his stats will never do him justice until he has an average quarterback throwing him the ball. Rather than look at his numbers, just look at his tape. Wilson’s speed, route-running finesse, acrobatic-catch skills, and elusiveness make him the complete WR1 that a young quarterback can trust as he acclimates to the pros.

Not to mention, Wilson is a consummate professional and mature beyond his years, the exact type of leader you want to have as the rock for a green signal-caller to lean on as he bears the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Garrett Wilson opens up on his feelings after the Jets traded away Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams:

“I don’t get paid to have a vision, [the Jets] do – and they’ve got one. I’ve got to trust it, man. I do.

My emotions, that side of it…I hate it. I hate it. I play football,… pic.twitter.com/OATgktPSga

— Jets Videos (@snyjets) November 6, 2025

Do the Jets really need to wait until 2027 to draft a quarterback?

Seven games remain for current trends to hold, but after Thursday night’s showing, here’s what the Jets are projected to enter the 2026 offseason with:

Quality 23-and-under first-round tackles on both sides

A promising young OC

High-ceiling TE1

Proven WR1

The Jets have plenty of holes to fill offensively; their woes this season do not fall solely on Fields.

But with many of the most critical spots already addressed, they can use their assets to fill out the offensive infrastructure while still drafting a quarterback. With over $99 million in projected cap space, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks, the Jets have everything they need to address quarterback, WR2, one or two interior offensive line spots, and potentially running back, depending on how things pan out with Breece Hall.

It’s not as if the Jets need to rebuild their entire offense. They have plenty of strong pieces in place on that side of the ball. In fact, it’s the defense that requires significantly more work.

The Jets were already one of the league’s worst defenses before trading Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. Despite a one-week honeymoon against Dillion Gabriel, last night’s beatdown at the hands of Drake Maye was a reminder that the Jets’ collective defensive talent might be worse than Ohio State’s right now (okay, I’m exaggerating—that college-versus-NFL conversation is always absurd—but you get the point).

New York’s offense and defense have been similarly poor this season, both owning the same ranking in points per game (26th), but from a talent standpoint, the offense is ahead. That unit’s overall performance has been dragged down because of a gaping hole at the sport’s most important position, whereas the defense does not have a singular role that carries as much importance as the quarterback.

The Jets may still decide to punt on drafting a quarterback in 2026, and if they do, it’s a completely understandable course of action. It comes down to how they feel about the class. If they don’t like their options, it would make sense to wait another year instead of wasting a pick on a player who does not justify the investment.

However, if the Jets are fond of this class, they shouldn’t wait just for the sake of patience. They are in a unique position for a team trending toward the third overall pick, carrying enough supporting pieces on offense for a young quarterback to be successful. So, if they can get him now… why push the timeline back a year?

The Jets don’t need two offseasons to build an offensive infrastructure that suffices for a young quarterback. They absolutely need at least two offseasons to build a complete roster that can compete for championships, when accounting for both sides of the ball, but purely looking at non-quarterback offensive positions, the Jets are already where they need to be to consider themselves an acceptable landing spot for a highly drafted passer.