Last week, the Jets were officially eliminated from playoff contention, and while there is plenty of evaluation to be done over the final four games, many fans are now turning one eye to the offseason, with the Jets facing some critical decisions. 

Year one of a new regime is all about transition. We’ve seen a number of moves made by Darren Mougey with an eye to creating a sustainable winner in New York for the next decade. We’re already seeing some of those players put down statement performances, namely from Jowon Briggs, AD Mitchell and others. 

The big question around the Jets heading into the offseason is at the quarterback position. The Jets have a number of options and plenty of cap space and draft capital to ensure they can come away with one of their primary targets. 

Over the next few weeks we’ll start looking more towards the offseason, and we’re kicking things off today with a quick introduction to the QB class in the 2026 NFL Draft. 

If you’re looking for QBs in the first round, there are three names that you need to be familiar with. 

Fernando Mendoza from Indiana, Dante Moore from Oregon and Ty Simpson from Alabama.

There is however plenty of uncertainty surrounding who will put their name forward for the draft and who will elect to return to school. All three prospects have college eligibility remaining and the latest rumours doing the rounds make me believe that Dante Moore is the most likely to return to school with Fernando Mendoza the most likely to enter the draft. 

There’s an argument that Mendoza has very little to prove by heading back to college considering he’s just led Indiana to their first Big Ten Championship in 58 years with an upset victory over powerhouse Ohio State. That performance at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis ticked a lot of boxes for NFL teams, not because of the numbers (15-23 for 222 yards and 1 TD) but because of the way the Florida native managed the game down the stretch, making big throw after big throw to secure the title. 

Dante Moore, on the other hand, may believe that heading back to school for another year is the best course of action for his long-term career. Moore has just one year of starting experience in college and while he put up an outstanding year (72.5% completion, 24 TDs, 6 INTs) some question his ability to perform under pressure and his arm strength when trying to stretch the field. Those are concerns that could be answered with another year of starting experience. 

The same can be said for Ty Simpson, who has only this year become a full-time starter at Alabama despite joining their college ranks in 2022. If you’d have looked at Simpson a month ago his draft stock chart would have been like a rocket launch, but struggles over the last month have caused some pause for thought in his pre-draft evaluation. He has 6 TDs to 4 INTs over his last five games, along with a completion rate that has fluctuated between 48.7% (vs Georgia) and 68.8% (vs Eastern Illinois). Another year in college could show teams that Simpson can play up to the standard of his opponents. 

But the college football quarterback class doesn’t finish with the first round talents, and if the Jets do miss out on their first target or baulk at the asking price to move into position to draft him, they could look down the draft to find and develop a QB.

It is also worth remembering that while there are no guarantees in college football, most experts believe the 2027 class will be loaded with talent, headlined by Texas man Arch Manning and OSU star Julian Sayin. 

As with the top of the draft and the doubt over Simpson and Moore, there is doubt further down the draft about which quarterbacks will declare. Listen to draft analysts and they’ll tell you that South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers is likely heading back to Columbia after a down year where he managed just 13 touchdowns in 12 games and threw 8 interceptions. 

John Mateer is an incredibly talented passer but his first year at Oklahoma didn’t go to plan following his transfer from Washington State. After throwing for over 3,000 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2024, he managed just 2,578 yards and 12 touchdowns to 10 interceptions in the Sooner state. If he does enter the draft, he’ll likely be drafted in the middle rounds and a team could see that as an opportunity to buy low on his talent. If he chooses to return to school, it could allow him to re-build his stock up towards the first round, which is where many had him projected at the start of 2025.

One prospect who could hold a lot of interest for the Jets is USC signal caller Jayden Maiava, who has spent the last two years learning his trade under ‘QB whisperer’ Lincoln Riley. The Junior finished this season completing over 66% of his passes for over 3,500 yards and 23 touchdowns. He has the ideal size at 6’4 and 225lbs, has a plus arm and quick release and has shown the ability to step up and avoid pressure and deliver the ball on time. There is some momentum behind him returning to school next year and I’m sure Riley will make a big push to return his leading man for a potential run at a title. 

Another name to watch is Brendan Sorsby whose name has been linked with the transfer portal in recent days following a breakout campaign in the Big 12 with Cincinnati. The 21-year-old Texas native completed 61.6% of his passes for 27 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions to go with over 500 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns. Considering the Jets looked to the dual ability of Justin Fields, bringing in a QB who has the ability to hurt defenses both on the ground and through the air could be very appealing. I’d consider Sorsby a big name to watch. 

There are of course other QBs to consider and I’m sure that as we work through the draft process, the projections will become clearer. Expect to hear a lot about Garrett Nussmeier, Sam Leavitt, Cade Klubnik, Drew Allar and of course 2 x CFP national champion Carson Beck. 

If you want a sleeper name to watch out for, then mark down Duke QB Darian Mensah who has decent size, a live arm and is coming off a year where he threw for 3,646 yards, 30 TDs and 5 INTs while completing 67.9% of passes and throwing 20 TDs against the blitz. The only thing holding Mensah back is his deep ball consistency. One to watch.