Sam Darnold. Joe Flacco. Zach Wilson. Mike White. Trevor Siemian. Tim Boyle. Aaron Rodgers. Justin Fields. Tyrod Taylor. Brady Cook.
That’s the list of all ten starting quarterbacks for the New York Jets since the 2020 season, with none having any particular success — thus them currently starting Cook, an undrafted rookie from Missouri. The list could’ve gone back to Mark Sanchez in 2010, who quarterbacked the franchise to its last playoff victory before quickly falling off, leading to a bevy of other failed starters.
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If it were up to ESPN’s Jordan Reid, Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore would be the 11th starter for the Jets since 2020. Reid listed Moore, if he declares, as the best prospect fit for the Jets in the 2026 NFL draft.
“With five first-round picks over the next two seasons, the Jets have the most draft capital of any of the QB-needy team,” Reid wrote in ESPN’s breakdown of the five-team race for the No. 1 pick. “They’d love to keep that future capital to build around Moore after the Fields signing did not work out. Moore’s poise and ball placement project well in offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand’s system given his potential as a true distributor.”
As Reid mentioned, New York signed former Chicago Bears starter and No. 11 pick in the 2021 draft Justin Fields to a 2-year, $40 million deal prior to the 2025 season. It’s been an objective disaster, as he’s failed to push the ball downfield and led the team to a 2-7 record as the starter. He was benched for Taylor, who was injured, leading to the undrafted Cook likely finishing the season.
If the Jets decide to part ways with Fields, they’ll be on the hook for a $22 million salary cap charge, a doable mark especially if they’re in position to draft a quarterback on a rookie contract. They could also keep him and have him serve as a veteran mentor to a player like Moore, who will be starting just the 18th game of his career on Saturday against James Madison.
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Therein lies the dilemma for Moore: return to Oregon and gain more experience, or declare for the NFL draft, where he’s being projected as a top five — or sooner — pick.
There’s risk to both sides, as coming back to college poses the threat of an injury derailing his season while going pro and landing with an organization like New York, who have a proven decades-long track record of a lack of quarterback success, wouldn’t be ideal.
And it doesn’t get a whole lot better outside of the Jets.
ESPN’s four other teams in the race for the No. 1 pick are the Las Vegas Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans and New York Giants. The Titans (Cam Ward) and Giants (Jaxson Dart) don’t project as needing a quarterback, but the Raiders and Browns certainly do — both franchises who haven’t had sustained success at that position since Derek Carr and Baker Mayfield, if that’s considered success.
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At the end of the day, the conversation about Moore’s landing spot won’t need to be had unless he declares for the draft, a decision that will be made in the coming weeks, depending on how long the Ducks‘ College Football Playoff run lasts.
But if it does come up and he does decide to go pro, odds are Moore will be faced with overturning years of incompetent quarterback play with his new franchise.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Dante Moore to NY Jets listed as ESPN’s best prospect fit