Most New York Jets fans have turned their December focus to the NFL draft (where the Jets witnessed a key development on Friday night), but there is still plenty on the line for New York’s players with three games to go.

Some Jets players have already cemented their futures with the organization, such as center Josh Myers and tight end Jeremy Ruckert, who each received contract extensions.

Others still have everything to prove with Christmas just five days away.

These three Jets players must make a stand over the Jets’ final three games if they want to strengthen their case for a return in 2026.

LG John Simpson

Through their extension of Myers, the Jets showed that they are happy with the performance of their offensive line in 2025 and would love to maintain its continuity heading into 2026.

With Myers inked, the Jets have four of their five current starters under contract for 2026 (although Myers is someone the Jets can improve upon, and his contract structure leaves open the possibility).

The only starter not under contract is left guard John Simpson, whose two-year, $12 million deal is set to expire after the season.

And if Simpson doesn’t step up his play over the final three games, the Jets probably won’t be itching to bring him back, at least not as a starter.

In the first year of his deal, Simpson’s play vastly exceeded his pay grade. Simpson finished the year with a 77.3 overall grade at Pro Football Focus, ranking fourth-best among left guards.

This year, though, Simpson has regressed. His 54.5 overall grade is just 22nd out of 32 qualified left guards.

Simpson has been more mistake-prone in all areas. In pass protection, he has already allowed four more pressures (24) than he did last year (20) despite playing 156 fewer pass-blocking snaps. The veteran has also committed nine penalties, two more than last season.

It’s in the run game, though, where Simpson has regressed the most. While his pass-blocking grade at PFF has dropped 9.5 points (72.3 to 62.8), his run-blocking grade has dropped 25.4 points (79.2 to 53.8).

This is corroborated by the film, where Simpson has frequently shown up as the culprit for stuffed runs.

Jets run mid/inside zone

Simpson gets “splashed” as his hands are wide and the DT works both hands into his chest

DT then tosses him to the ground

Wide hands rarely win you reps pic.twitter.com/Lsrn9v1nOT

— Joe Blewett (@Joerb31) December 16, 2025

Simpson beat in the run game, more inconsistent this year vs his first two with the Jets

Hands land wide on the DT, giving the DT control of his chest and having no impactful hand placement

DT easily sheds for the tackle pic.twitter.com/M4XfQPw1IO

— Joe Blewett (@Joerb31) October 21, 2025

Simpson is an excellent locker room presence and at least has the ability of a high-level backup. For those reasons, the Jets will express some degree of interest in bringing him back. But if he wants to come back with a chance of retaining his starting spot, he needs to use the next three games to provide hope that he can return to the level of play he showed in 2024.

EDGE Will McDonald

Massive changes are coming for the Jets’ defense in 2026. With a new coordinator set to inherit a unit that ranks 31st in DVOA, the Jets will want a plethora of new starters, and they have the assets to pull it off. Thus, nobody on the current defensive roster is safe.

Well, except for Jowon Briggs. If you’re not Jowon Briggs, though, you had better start making a darn good audition for the new DC, whoever that DC may be.

That includes Will McDonald.

Fourteen games in, McDonald is almost out of time to change the narrative that his 2025 season has been a significant decline compared to his breakout 2024 season. Compare his rankings in some of the major pass-rush metrics (ranks among edge rushers, via PFF):

2024 (17 games): 61 total pressures (13th), 11 total sacks (11th), 73.9 PFF pass-rush grade (26th of 93), 13.2% pressure rate (20th of 93), 12.0% pass-rush win rate (44th of 93)

2025 (14 games): 37 total pressures (39th), 7 total sacks (23rd), 68.2 PFF pass-rush grade (40th of 98), 10.6% pressure rate (67th of 98), 10.4% pass-rush win rate (62nd of 98)

The lanky McDonald is never going to be coveted for his run defense, an area where he has been rated as one of the league’s worst edge defenders in two straight seasons. He’s on the field to be a dominant pass rusher, and he has been nowhere close to that in 2025.

McDonald is under contract with New York for the 2026 season, but they will have to decide on his fifth-year option for the 2027 season by May of 2026. Right now, it is difficult to envision the Jets accepting it.

There is a role for McDonald in New York, or any NFL defense, for that matter; it’s not as if his career is on the line. He is a gifted athlete with some of the highest pass-rush peaks in the league.

However, if McDonald does not turn things around in a substantial way over the final three games, he might be looking at the possibility of competing for a situational role on the Jets’ defensive line in 2026.

At this point, McDonald projects to make a much better impact as a situational pass rusher than as a starter. He is being exposed in the run game, and as a pass rusher, he is not performing efficiently over a large workload of snaps. McDonald might be at his best if he enters the game solely in situations where he can pin his ears back and rush, similar to Bryce Huff’s old role in New York.

Or, if the Jets’ new coordinator does not deem McDonald as a fit in their scheme, he could be a trade candidate. Based on Aaron Glenn’s time in Detroit, the Jets might prioritize getting bigger and sturdier across the defensive line, especially with how soft their run defense has looked in 2025.

Either way, McDonald’s future as a starting edge rusher for the Jets is in jeopardy.

WR John Metchie

With Garrett Wilson officially shut down for the season and Allen Lazard released, it means that the Jets’ young tryout receivers, Adonai Mitchell and John Metchie, will get all of the snaps and targets they could dream of for the rest of the year.

Metchie, in particular, has a lot to prove.

Mitchell is under contract for the Jets in 2026, but Metchie is a restricted free agent. He must prove to the Jets why they should bring him back to compete for a roster spot.

Metchie got off to a strong start in New York. Through his first three games with the Jets, he caught 10 of 11 targets for 113 yards (10.3 yards per target) and two touchdowns.

The last three games, though, have been brutal for the former second-round pick. Metchie has caught 12 of 21 targets for just 78 yards and no touchdowns, a ghastly average of 3.7 yards per target. Metchie himself is to blame; he’s recorded three drops over this span (20% drop rate) while securing just two of six contested targets (33% contested catch rate).

Two of those three drops were absolutely crushing. One would have been a walk-in touchdown and was about as bad a drop as you’ll see in the NFL. The other would’ve been at least a first down to set up first-and-goal, if not a touchdown.

Metchie (bottom) wants this one back

Runs the drag from motion

Tyrod gets his eyes to him after reading Ruckert

Is wide open for a first down (if not a td) but drops the ball

Obviously needs to improve the hands pic.twitter.com/2KWEsbpTlU

— Joe Blewett (@Joerb31) December 2, 2025

Metchie’s hands have been a concern dating back to his college days at Alabama. His first few games in New York offered hope that he’s turned a corner, but those woes have reared their ugly head in recent weeks.

Since Metchie is a restricted free agent, the Jets can retain him on a right of first refusal tender, which was worth $3.263 million in 2025 and will likely increase marginally in 2026 (it increased about $278K from $2.985 million in 2024). The salary is non-guaranteed.

Based on his career track record and current level of play in New York, Metchie does not justify an approximately $3.5 million salary. It would be non-guaranteed, so the Jets could cut him if he does not prove himself in the summer, but that’s a price tag high enough to be used on a more proven veteran backup; for instance, the Jets signed Josh Myers to a one-year, $3.5 million deal this past March.

Even with the NFL’s fourth-most cap space, the Jets won’t throw an RFA tender around like it’s Monopoly money. If Metchie does not use the final three games to show that he’s worth a roster spot and potentially over $3.5 million, they may elect to end the experiment and roll the dice on a different receiver in training camp.

The Jets can also elect not to use any tender on Metchie, making him an unrestricted free agent and allowing them to re-sign him for a cheaper commitment, although it would allow Metchie to sign wherever he pleases.

At the end of the day, though, the Jets might not be interested in having Metchie around for any price if he keeps dropping uncontested passes around the goal line.