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Gets fifth-year option picked up
Wed, Apr 29, 2026, 6:26 PM
The Jets picked up the fifth-year option on McDonald's (knee) rookie contract Wednesday, Eric Allen of the team's official site reports.
Analysis: McDonald has tallied 18.5 sacks in 32 games over the last two seasons, so it comes as little surprise that the Jets have opted to keep him under their control through the end of the 2027 season. Even though the club recently used the second overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on defensive end David Bailey, McDonald figures to get about as much work as he can handle during the upcoming campaign. |
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Reeled in by Jets
Sat, Apr 25, 2026, 5:07 PM
The Jets selected Payne in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 228th overall.
Analysis: Payne started 42 games as a four-year defensive back at Kansas State. In his final season, Payne posted 59 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, five pass breakups and an interception. The 22-year-old is a dependable tackler who played all around the formation in college. There's still work to do in coverage, but he's big (6-foot-3, 206 pounds) with some of the longest arms for a safety in the draft (33 and 6/8 inches), and his athleticism (4.40 40-yard dash) should make him a strong special-teams option if he can't crack the defensive rotation right away. |
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Snagged by Jets
Sat, Apr 25, 2026, 3:22 PM
The Jets selected Cooper in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 188th overall.
Analysis: The Jets sent the Seahawks a seventh-round pick to move up 11 spots and take Cooper. Through four years at Miami, Cooper started 45 games at right guard. Cooper's an imposing force at 6-foot-6, 334 pounds and should be considered a solid backup on the interior of the Jets' offensive line. |
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Headed to Jets
Sat, Apr 25, 2026, 11:46 AM
The Jets selected Klubnik in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 110th overall.
Analysis: Klubnik's college career didn't end with his most impressive campaign of the bunch, but he put up 3,639 passing yards and a 36:6 TD:INT ratio as a junior in 2024 and still completed 65.6 percent of his pass attempts for 2,943 yards as a senior for Clemson, amassing a 16:6 TD:INT ratio to close things out. Klubnik boasts the measurables necessary for the position and more than enough athleticism, but he struggles getting through his reads and tends to leave the pocket earlier than necessary. While Geno Smith is locked into the starting gig in New York for the next couple of years on a two-year, $75 million contract, Klubnik should have a chance to claim the top backup job from Brady Cook, who really struggled when thrust into starting duties late in the 2025 campaign. |
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Chosen by Jets
Sat, Apr 25, 2026, 11:18 AM
The Jets selected Jackson in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 103rd overall.
Analysis: Jackson spent the last three seasons of his five-year college career with Florida State. He operated as an effective run stopper on the Seminoles' interior defensive line, and he was named an All-ACC Honorable Mention in each of 2024 and 2025. He ended his senior year with 45 total tackles, including 1.0 sacks, across 12 games. Jackson has the size and strength to beat blockers and wreak havoc in the interior line, and he'll be an intriguing developmental project under Jets head coach Aaron Glenn. Jackson is slated to work in rotation with T'Vondre Sweat, Harrison Phillips and Mazi Smith. |
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Picked by Jets
Fri, Apr 24, 2026, 7:25 PM
The Jets selected Ponds in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 50th overall.
Analysis: Ponds wasn't heavily recruited out of high school due to his 5-foot-8 size, and that might be an issue for him at the NFL level. However, he didn't let that lack of size get in the way of a successful three-year college career that culminated in a National College Championship victory in 2025 with Indiana. During that season, Ponds was selected to both the All-American Second-Team and All-Big Ten First-Team after logging 61 tackles, one forced fumble and 12 pass defenses (two interceptions) across 15 games. The Jets needed to address the outside cornerback position after trading Sauce Gardner (calf) to the Colts in November, and Ponds will compete for a starting job against the likes of Azareye'h Thomas (shoulder) and Qwan'tez Stiggers (knee). |
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Geno Smith Geno Smith Jets add talent to passing game
Fri, Apr 24, 2026, 10:47 AM
Smith gained two key targets Thursday, as the Jets drafted tight end Kenyon Sadiq 16th overall and wide receiver Omar Cooper 30th overall, Mitch Sherman and Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic report.
Analysis: Smith was acquired in the offseason to take over as the starting quarterback for a Jets offense that lacked playmakers in the passing game, as Garrett Wilson led the team with 395 receiving yards in 2025 despite being limited to seven games by a knee injury. The Jets are expected to get a healthy Wilson back in 2026 and now boast two additional first-round talents among their pass catchers in Sadiq out of Oregon and Cooper from Indiana. The 35-year-old Smith has thrown 90 touchdown passes over the past four regular seasons, with three of those campaigns coming in Seattle before he played for the Raiders in 2025. |
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Mason Taylor Mason Taylor Jets bolster TE room in Round 1
Fri, Apr 24, 2026, 10:06 AM
Taylor will face increased competition for targets and playing time at tight end, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports that the Jets drafted Kenyon Sadiq 16th overall Thursday.
Analysis: Sadiq has more upside as a pass catcher than Taylor, as the rookie first-round pick had 51 catches for 560 yards and eight touchdowns at Oregon in 2025 and set a position record with a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. That being said, Cimini believes Taylor will still get plenty of playing time, with the Jets likely to use a lot of formations featuring multiple tight ends. Taylor caught 44 of 65 targets for 369 yards and one touchdown as a rookie after being selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. |
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Garrett Wilson Garrett Wilson Jets draft TE, WR in Round 1
Fri, Apr 24, 2026, 9:59 AM
Wilson (knee) could see increased competition for targets but also less attention from defenses after the Jets drafted tight end Kenyon Sadiq and wide receiver Omar Cooper, respectively, with the 16th and 30th picks Thursday, Mitch Sherman and Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic report.
Analysis: Wilson should remain the top target in a new-look Jets offense quarterbacked by offseason acquisition Geno Smith. Despite being limited to seven appearances in 2025 by a knee injury, Wilson still led the team with 395 receiving yards. The 10th overall pick in the 2022 Draft has averaged over nine targets per game through 58 regular-season NFL appearances. The addition of two more talented pass catchers may actually prove to be a net positive for Wilson, as he should retain a hefty target share once healthy while potentially getting more scoring opportunities if the Jets offense improves as a unit. Wilson has 18 touchdown receptions through four seasons. |
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Selected by Jets
Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 9:59 PM
The Jets selected Cooper in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 30th overall.
Analysis: Cooper (6-feet, 199 pounds) was a productive player in his fourth season at Indiana, though less so in the prior three years. Cooper's 4.42-second 40-yard dash verified that he has real NFL speed to leverage his otherwise standout ability after the catch. The Jets pass-catcher rotation is suddenly somewhat crowded after adding Cooper and TE Kenyon Sadiq, so it's not clear how many targets will be left after Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell get their reps. |
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Selected by Jets
Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 8:49 PM
The Jets selected Sadiq in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 16th overall.
Analysis: No one doubts that Sadiq (6-foot-3, 241 pounds) is a good player, and the former Oregon star clearly has compelling long-term upside due to his rare athleticism (4.39-second 40, 43.5-inch vertical jump). This pick is still somewhat puzzling, if only because the Jets just spent a second-round pick on Mason Taylor in the 2025 NFL Draft, and Taylor will be only 22 years old in May. As much as there have been NFL offenses with two tight ends providing standout fantasy utility, there haven't been very many of those and the Jets are maybe the last offense you'd accuse of such competence. With all that said, Sadiq's talent might be so loud that this is more of a problem for Taylor than Sadiq. |
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Lands with Jets
Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 7:19 PM
The Jets selected Bailey in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, second overall.
Analysis: Bailey (6-foot-4, 251 pounds) was a standout starter for all four of his collegiate seasons - three at Stanford and one at Texas Tech - but his one season at Texas Tech was particularly memorable. Bailey was dominant for his own part, logging 14.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss, and his efforts spearheaded a historically dominant Red Raiders defense as a unit, allowing just 11.8 points per game. With a 4.50-second 40 at the combine to go with a 129-inch broad jump, Bailey confirmed he has blue-chip athleticism to go along with his strong history of production. It would be disappointing if the Jets' new defender isn't one of the league's standout pass rushers within the next two years. |
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Officially sticking around New York
Thu, Apr 9, 2026, 8:34 PM
McCrary-Ball (hamstring) and the Jets agreed on a one-year contract Wednesday, per the NFL's official transaction log.
Analysis: McCrary-Ball was tendered by New York as an exclusive right free agent in March, and the two sides officially put pen to paper Wednesday. The linebacker was dealing with a hamstring injury late in the 2025 campaign, but he now appears to be back to full health. The 27-year-old will provide the Jets with an additional depth option behind Francisco Mauigoa (neck) and Mykal Walker in 2026. |
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Mason Taylor Mason Taylor Coach anticipates Year 2 leap
Tue, Mar 31, 2026, 11:34 AM
Jets head coach Aaron Glenn named Taylor (neck) when asked Monday which players he anticipates taking a step forward in 2026, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Taylor missed the final four games of last season due to a neck injury, but there have been no indications that he will be hampered in OTAs. Across 13 regular-season appearances during his rookie campaign, Taylor secured 44 of 65 targets for 369 yards and one touchdown, solid totals considering the struggles of New York's aerial attack, which averaged a league-worst 140.3 passing yards per game. The arrival of Geno Smith should provide stability on that front, and Taylor is currently positioned as one of the new QB's top targets along with Breece Hall (knee), Garrett Wilson (knee) and Adonai Mitchell. |
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Likely getting fifth-year option
Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 3:58 PM
Jets GM Darren Mougey said Monday that he expects McDonald (knee) to have his fifth-year option picked up, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: McDonald missed the final two games of the 2025 campaign due to a knee issue, ending the year with 30 tackles (19 solo), including 8.0 sacks, across 15 regular-season appearances. If the fifth-year option on his rookie deal indeed is picked up by New York, McDonald will remain under contract with the Jets through the 2027 season. |
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Geno Smith Geno Smith Set to be QB1 in New York
Sun, Mar 29, 2026, 4:51 PM
Jets coach Aaron Glenn said in an interview with NFL Network there's "no doubt about it" that Smith will be the team's starting quarterback.
Analysis: Smith was traded from Las Vegas to New York on March 10, when Justin Fields (knee) still was on the roster following an injury-shortened season as the Jets' starting quarterback. Fields then was dealt to the Chiefs on March 16, leaving Smith as easily the most experienced QB on the Jets' roster ahead of Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook. Glenn also said in his interview about Smith, "It means to have a bona fide starter come in and lead this offense to where it needs to go." During his lone season with the Raiders, Smith completed 67 percent of his passes for 3,025 yards and a 19:17 TD:INT. That was the third-worst TD:INT of the 35-year-old's career, behind only his first two seasons when he previously started for the Jets in 2013 and 2014. Smith was a journeyman backup before finally getting another chance to be the starting quarterback for the Seahawks from 2022 to 2024. He totaled 71 touchdowns to 35 interceptions as the starter in Seattle, and he completed at least 65 percent of his passes in each season as the QB1. |
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Signs with Gang Green
Mon, Mar 16, 2026, 6:00 PM
The Jets signed Briggs to a contract Monday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Analysis: The Jets placed the exclusive rights tender on Briggs in early March, and the 2024 seventh-rounder will play on the league-minimum contract for the upcoming season. He saw his defensive snap count increase over the course of the 2025 regular season. Briggs played at least 65 percent of the Jets' defensive snaps in each of the final seven games of the regular season, and over that span he accumulated 25 tackles (11 solo), including 2.0 sacks. He'll likely work in a rotational role on the defensive line in 2026 behind T'Vondre Sweat and Harrison Phillips. |
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Kene Nwangwu Kene Nwangwu Staying put in New York
Sat, Mar 14, 2026, 9:37 PM
The Jets are signing Nwangwu to a one-year, $2 million contract worth up to $3 million with incentives, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Analysis: Nwangwu had a small role in New York's offense as a depth RB last year, recording 49 yards on 13 carries in 12 games. However, he was a key player on special teams, logging 604 yards and one touchdown on 18 kickoff returns. Nwangwu has recorded five TDs as a kick returner through his first five campaigns in the league, and that should again be his primary role in 2026. |
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Re-signs with Gang Green
Fri, Mar 13, 2026, 7:16 PM
The Jets re-signed Walker on Friday, Jack Bell of the team's official site reports.
Analysis: Walker was cut by the Cardinals at the end of training camp, but he quickly caught on with the Jets on the practice squad in early September before being signed to the active roster in October. He worked in a rotational role on defense while serving on special teams and finished the 2025 regular season with 31 tackles (nine solo) and one pass defense across 14 games. Walker will likely reprise that roles for the Jets in 2026. |
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Re-signs with NYJ
Fri, Mar 13, 2026, 5:40 PM
Cisco (pectoral) and the Jets agreed to terms on a one-year, $5.25 million contract Friday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Analysis: Cisco started at safety in each of the Jets' first eight games of the regular season but spent the rest of 2025 on IR after tearing his pectoral muscle in Week 8 against the Bengals. He should be ready for the start of offseason programming, and Cisco projects to start at safety alongside Minkah Fitzpatrick in 2026. |
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