The Jets just picked up their third win of the 2025 campaign this past Sunday. They also haven’t been eliminated from playoff contention, despite it being December already. Despite these positive things, it’s important to look towards 2026. The new regime has clearly pointed the team and fanbase in that direction with their decisions this year. They traded two of the Jets’ franchise players for future draft capital, including a first and a second-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. They have also taken on multiple young players who could be in the fold for 2026. These include Jowon Briggs, Adonai Mitchell, and John Metchie III. With the moves the team has made throughout the season, along with their recent play, the Jets may have a top offense in 2026.
Factor #1: The Jets Built This the Right Way by Solidifying the Trenches
One thing the Jets struggled with mightily in the Robert Saleh/Joe Douglas era was the offensive line. Douglas whiffed on many offensive linemen additions, including Mekhi Becton, Duane Brown, Tyron Smith, and Laken Tomlinson. In just one season under Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey, the script has completely flipped. Their tackle duo of Olu Fashanu and rookie Armand Membou looks like they’ll be the Jets’ bookends for a long time. PFF has them both graded as top-20 pass blockers and top-30 run blockers. Considering there are 64 players that start at offensive tackle each week across the NFL, this is very good.
On the inside, Joe Tippman has been a revelation at right guard after starting his career at center. PFF has him as the 17th-best pass-blocking guard and the 11th-best run-blocking guard. The other two pieces, left guard John Simpson and center Josh Myers, have helped round out the unit, but are both free agents in the offseason. I anticipate one of these players to be back in 2026, and the other position to be filled elsewhere. Overall, though, the Jets have at least three young cornerstones on the line that have vastly helped the Jets’ offense.
Updated Joe Tippmann numbers after another fantastic game for the #Jets (75.7 PFF grade + 85.2 pass block in Week 13):
Tippmann’s 84.0 PFF pass block grade since Week 7 ranks 3rd among all qualified guards.
He’s allowed just 3 pressures over his last 5 games and hasn’t allowed… https://t.co/8vLLBBLsp0
— Justin Fried (@JustinTFried) December 1, 2025
Factor #2: A Once Weak Receiving Core Looks Like a Future Strength
The Jets’ wide receiver core coming into 2025 was really just Garrett Wilson and the rest. In the offseason, they signed Tyler Johnson and Josh Reynolds. These players started for the Jets offense alongside Wilson for Week 1, but have been non-factors. However, this regime once again flipped a whole position group on its head this season. In the trades of cornerbacks Michael Carter II and Sauce Gardner, the Jets received John Metchie III and Adonai Mitchell, respectively. These two are already full-time starters for the Jets with Garrett Wilson injured, and the returns have looked good. In his four games as a Jet thus far, Metchie has 14 catches for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns. He’s shown that he can get open and produce after the catch. Mitchell has played one less game, but produced 11 catches for 154 yards and a touchdown. The bulk of this comes from this past weekend’s breakout performance.
The best part about these two players is that they are both young and could both be under contract in 2026. Mitchell is just 23 years old, having been drafted by the Colts in 2024. Metchie has been in the league for a little longer, as he’s 25 years old and is technically in the middle of his fourth season. The word “technically” is more accurate because he missed his rookie season after being diagnosed with leukemia. He’s a restricted free agent (RFA) in 2026, meaning he can talk to other teams. However, the Jets can match any offer from said teams. They could also place a tender on the player, meaning they could receive draft compensation for said player if they sign with another team, depending on the tender they use. Check out this resource for more information on tenders.
Factor #3: The 2026 Offseason
As mentioned earlier, the Jets have a lot of ammunition in the 2026 NFL Draft with their additional first and second round picks. In total, this brings the Jets’ capital to 11 picks. This capital, and perhaps some future capital as well, should be used to bring in a quarterback to lead the offense. Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Oregon’s Dante Moore immediately come to mind. They can also fill in any holes they need to outside of the quarterback as well. That’s not even the only resource the Jets will have access to, either. According to Spotrac, the Jets are projected to have the third-highest cap space in the NFL in 2026 with a whopping $115 million. This could allow the Jets to go the veteran route to address any potential holes. Notable free agents include Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum, Browns guard Joel Bitonio, and Jaguars wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.
The other important use for the money should be bringing back Breece Hall. Hall has been great for New York this year, totaling 834 rushing yards on 4.5 yards per attempt so far. He’s also been a team player through and through, supporting the players and Aaron Glenn, even after a rumored trade request. Just look at this recent social media post of his from after their win on Sunday:
— Breece Hall (@BreeceH) November 30, 2025
Overall, this team has great potential for the offense in 2026. It remains up to Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey to continue righting the ship in the offseason.
Main Photo: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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