The NFL’s offseason truly begins with the Scouting Combine, when most of the football world descends on Indianapolis. Yes, there are the televised drills, medical evaluations and invaluable in-person meetings, but the landscape of free agency and the NFL Draft begins to take shape as off-the-record conversations transpire in restaurants, bars and elsewhere.
This offseason is a huge one for the Jets. The seat under head coach Aaron Glenn is red hot. The same can be said for general manager Darren Mougey. The powers that be are not happy with last year’s 3-14 record or how the season ended. They expect progress. Whether that’s attainable is the real question, but the attempt to reach it begins this week.
Here’s your combine primer for where things stand with the Jets.
Current starters under contract
Offense: Justin Fields (QB), Braelon Allen (RB), Garrett Wilson (WR), AD Mitchell (WR), Isaiah Williams (WR), Mason Taylor (TE), Olu Fashanu (LT), Kohl Levao (LG), Josh Myers (C), Joe Tippmann (RG), Armand Membou (RT)
Defense: Will McDonald (DE), Harrison Phillips (DT), Mazi Smith (DT), Jermaine Johnson (DE), Kiko Mauigoa (LB), Jamien Sherwood (LB), Kobe King (LB), AZ Thomas (CB), Brandon Stephens (CB), Jarvis Brownlee (CB), Malachi Moore (S), Dean Clark (S)
Special teams: Lenny Krieg (K), Austin McNamara (P), Thomas Hennessy (LS), Isaiah Williams (KR/PR)
Free agents
UFA: Andre Cisco (S), John Simpson (LG), Quincy Williams (LB), Tyrod Taylor (QB), Alijah Vera-Tucker (RG), Tony Adams (S), Nick Folk (K), Josh Reynolds (WR), Isaiah Oliver (CB), Breece Hall (RB), Kris Boyd (CB), Kene Nwangwu (RB/RET), Stone Smartt (TE), Andrew Beck (FB), Chukwuma (RT), Khalen Saunders (IDL), Khalil Herbert (RB), Kay Tufele (IDL), Mykal Walker (LB), Tyler Johnson (WR), Max Mitchell (G), Micheal Clemons (DE), Ja’Sir Taylor (CB)
RFA: John Metchie (WR), Xavier Newman (G), Cam Jones (LB)
ERFA: Hendon Hooker (QB), Marcelino McCrary-Ball (LB, ST), Jowon Briggs (IDL)
SFA: Keilan Robinson (RB), Leander Wiegand (LG)
Salary cap update
While the Jets do carry $91 million in dead money on their 2026 cap, they are still among the league leaders in cap space entering this offseason with $79.34 million, according to OverTheCap.com, assuming a team cap of $303.5 million.
That figure is fourth-most in the NFL. They have an effective cap of $63.4 million, which takes into consideration what teams need to pay their rookie class (fifth-most in league).
There is a slight caveat here, though: Among the reasons the Jets have so much cap space, despite having such a large dead cap figure, is because they have very few legitimate starters under contract. That $79 million gets eaten up quick, when considering how many holes they must fill.
The Jets need to find a quarterback, running back, two receivers, left guard, defensive end, defensive tackle, one or two linebackers, a cornerback, one or two safeties and a kicker. Mougey has his work cut out for him.
Potential cap casualties
It seems unlikely the Jets part with many players under contract this offseason. They already need to find so many players, why make that list even longer?
Fields is almost assuredly gone. The Jets basically gave him a guaranteed, two-year contract last offseason, so there’s little financial relief. Cutting him outright frees $1 million with a $22 million dead charge.
They can space the $22 million out of the next two years by making him a post-June 1st cut. This is what they did with Aaron Rodgers, and likely what they’ll do here. That would give the Jets $10 million in relief this year (they cannot use until June 2), with a $13 million dead charge in 2026 and a $9 million dead charge in 2027.
The only other possibility is defensive tackle Harrison Phillips -- he frees $7.5 million with his release. That, too, seems unlikely.
NFL Draft picks
First round: No. 2 and No. 16
Second round: No. 1 and No. 12
Fourth round: No. 3
Fifth round: No. 37 and No. 40
Sixth round: No. 13; and No. 30
Seventh round: No. 2 and No. 26
Who to watch at NFL Combine
All of the quarterbacks
It’s just the Jets’ luck that the year they hold the No. 2 pick, there’s no quarterback worth that selection. Jayden Daniels went after Caleb Williams two years ago. C.J. Stroud followed Bryce Young. Carson Wentz came after Jared Goff.
This year, though, it’s Fernando Mendoza followed by no one.
While the Jets’ franchise quarterback is likely waiting for them in 2027, most around the NFL expect them to take a project player at some point in April. That could be Alabama’s Ty Simpson, Penn State’s Drew Allar or LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier. New York can take him, pair him with a veteran signed or acquired via trade, and see if it works this coming season.
Best case, it does, and they use their cache of 2027 capital to round out the roster. They can do what the Panthers did with Jimmy Clausen and Cam Newton if it does not.
Those pass rushers
While Glenn spent the summer boasting about how much better his defenders would be with him as opposed to the last regime, there’s no denying the wholesale regression experienced by Robert Saleh’s holdovers. Maybe the worst examples were edge rushers Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald IV.
The two were believed to be cornerstone pieces this time last year. You wonder now if the Jets should have dumped them both at the trade deadline. They didn’t entertain anything on McDonald. They listened intently on Johnson, but wanted a second-round pick. No one offered better than the 49ers, who were willing to part with a third.
The Jets won’t take a quarterback at No. 2, but a game-changing pass rusher could be theirs. Arvell Reese (Ohio State), David Bailey (Texas Tech) and Rueben Bain (Miami) would all help Glenn as he tries to rebuild New York’s defense.
What about a pass catcher?
The second overall pick might be too rich for a wideout, but the No. 16 selection -- compliments from the Colts in exchange for Sauce Gardner -- is a perfect spot to find Wilson’s running mate.
Carnell Tate (Ohio State), Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State) and Makai Lemon (USC) are considered the top-three options. Tate is likely gone before this pick, but one of the other two should be there. They could go a long way in the Jets building a situation where a young quarterback could thrive.