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New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn reacting in the middle of an NFL game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The New York Jets will pull out all of the stops in their pursuit of the next QB1.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini told radio host Jake Asman and former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum as much on ESPN New York.
“They have to be very aggressive. I mean, they don’t have one [a quarterback] right now. They are in the worst place that you can be as an NFL franchise. When you’re going into February, and you don’t know who your quarterback is going to be. That has to be a very uneasy feeling,” Cimini explained on “New York GameDay” on February 8. “So yes, I do think [general manager] Darren Mougey will be ultra aggressive in making calls.”
A Blockbuster NFL Draft Trade Conversation?
I spoke with ESPN’s Rich Cimini on “Boy Green Daily.” During our conversation, he talked about the path to acquiring a star quarterback in the 2026 NFL draft.
“He is gonna call the Raiders and ask about the No. 1 pick. Why wouldn’t you? It is just part of his job. I mean, call up and say, ‘Look, we’ll give you X, Y, and Z to move up to No. 1 so we can take [Fernando] Mendoza.’ They’re probably going to get a no, but when you’re in this situation, which is like the worst situation a team can be in with no quarterback, you gotta try everything,” Cimini explained to me on the podcast.
“You’d have to give up [pick] two, [pick] 16, and probably something else pretty good to move up. If you’re the Raiders, okay, that’s a lot of stuff, but like, what do we do for a quarterback then? Now you’re picking second, there is no quarterback you’re taking second, unless they have like a secret fascination with Ty Simpson or something along those lines. Mougey will call, but there is virtually no chance that they’re going to get Mendoza,” Cimini bluntly said.
It’s a shame because Cimini told me that Mendoza “would be great in New York.”
The Veteran Trade Market?
If the Jets can’t acquire their guy in the draft, perhaps the trade market is the proper path to do it.
I asked Rich if there was any possibility of the Jets calling Houston about taking CJ Stroud off their hands.
“I mean, look, we all know that it ended badly for CJ Stroud. Four interceptions in that playoff game. It was one of the worst passing performances I think we have seen in a long time. He is still a good player. He hasn’t quite duplicated that rookie year, but he hasn’t been bad. I would be shocked. What is he 24 years old? He has been to the playoffs multiple times. I just don’t see how you give up on a guy like that,” Cimini told me on “Boy Green Daily.”
“I think Darren Mougey is probably going to call every team and ask them about their quarterback … So Mougey will probably call Nick Caserio and say, ‘Hey, look, what would it take?’ I’m sure he would get a no there. You just don’t give up on 24-year-old quarterbacks who have accomplished as much as he has in the league,” Cimini added.
Jets Aren’t Just Going to Be Aggressive at the QB Position
The green and white will attempt to do everything to get a quarterback. It remains to be seen if that’ll be enough to get the passer of their dreams.
However, that won’t be the only spot on the roster the Jets try to upgrade aggressively.
NFL Insider Connor Hughes of SNY wrote, “Sources expect the Jets to be among the league’s more aggressive teams in free agency as they attempt to upgrade a roster coming off a 3-14 season. The organization believes substantial reinforcements are needed.”
The Jets aren’t expected to “shy away from spending,” Hughes added.
Head coach Aaron Glenn is firmly on the hot seat. Maximizing free agency could be a way to save his job in 2026.
“Owner Woody Johnson is expected to be willing to use financial muscle to close the gap between the Jets and competing suitors,” Hughes revealed.
Paul Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he co-hosts a morning show, “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.” Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY, and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.
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