The 2026 season should be the Super Flier Bowl for quarterbacks for the New York Jets, and they need to strongly consider the option of building the team first and setting up the next quarterback for success.
Right now, the Jets should simply cut Justin Fields in 2025. They would eat the $8 million in cap space for the rest of the season and absorb $22 million in dead cap in 2026. Then, they would be done with the saga.
Then, they sign Brady Cook to the active roster, giving him an early chance to prove something for 2026. Cook’s cap charge would go from $335,001 to $469,667.
As Joel Corry of CBS Sports told us,
The Jets will be getting a $7 million cap credit in 2026 from the $7 million of 2025 proration relating to the $35 million option bonus for a 2029 contract year that wasn’t picked up due to Rodgers being released. The cap credit is reducing the 2026 dead money from $35 million to $28 million.
So, that would mean the Jets would have a total of $51 million in dead cap charges at the quarterback position in 2026. The total charges for Cook, Tyrod Taylor, Fields, and Rodgers in 2025-26 would be $85,469,667.
So, what should the Jets do for 2026 camp? If they don’t think they will be able to land a quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft, then it’s time for a camp competition for either a bridge quarterback or a bunch of fliers who could turn into something at quarterback.
The Cheapest Options
Cook and Jordan Ta’amu are the cheapest options to bring into camp to see what they have. They’d both be eligible for a Reserve/Futures contract, which for the Jets would be for one year. The cap charge for Ta’amu would be $885,000, and for Cook, it would be $1,005,000. That’s if one makes the roster.
Jets Should Look To UFL For Quarterback in 2026
Spring football has given the NFL some special teams options, especially at kicker. With the question marks in the 2026 NFL Draft class, and the other NFL options not looking great, the Jets should turn to the UFL for their quarterback in 2026.
If one of them makes the active roster as a starter, he’s the flier they need to fill the void until 2026, and could breakout into something for the future.
The Day 2 Swing
If the Jets wanted to take a swing at a quarterback in the draft, as it stands now, the two Day 2 picks have cap charges of $2,315,254 (38) and $1,935,399 (47). Both of those numbers are cheap enough to take a flier on, and combined with Ta’amu and Cook, would give the Jets three quarterbacks in a competition.
The Cheap Veteran Fliers
I discussed bringing in Malik Willis in a previous article.
Malik Willis's Bridge/Lightning in a Bottle QB Contract
The Jets may not be in position to draft a quarterback in 2026. So, they will need a bridge, especially if they choose to move on from Justin Fields. The Jets should consider signing current Packers backup Malik Willis.
He has some raw ability, and the Jets could take a flier on him if he becomes an unrestricted free agent. In that contract, his cap charge would be $2,572,000, and putting him in the group would give the Jets four quarterbacks.
The Jets could also give Trey Lance a flier. The current Chargers backup quarterback is set to hit free agency. They could sign Lance to a similar prove-it deal they gave Willis in the above suggestion, guaranteeing only 2026 with a small dead cap charge if cut after camp, or they could give him a cheap contract with a roster bonus for making the 53-man roster.
That could look like this:
One year, $3 million, $785k guaranteed, max value $5 million
2026 Base Salary: $1.215 million
Signing Bonus: $785k
Roster Bonus: if on the initial 53-man roster, $1 million
Non-cumulative NLTBE incentives:
70% playing time: $250k
80% playing time: $250k
90% playing time: $250k
75% playing time + playoffs: $250k
Each playoff win (including first round bye): $250k
With the NFL’s free agent class expected to be better this year than next, and the 2027 NFL Draft quarterback class expected to be better than this year’s, it would be very prudent to consider taking a flier on a quarterback this year, and then, if it doesn’t pan out, take one high in the draft in 2027 and have that quarterback set up with a good team around him.
There are a lot of ugly QB situations in the NFL, including the Jets. The race to the top 2 picks is going to be interesting. Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson probably go 1 and 2 in the draft, since QBs with first round grades tend to go very early. Raiders, Jets, Cardinals, Browns, and Saints all have 3 wins or fewer and in all likelihood would not pass on Mendoza or Simpson if they're in position to take them.
The Titans (Cam Ward) or Giants (Jaxson Dart) owning Picks 1 or 2 would certainly make for a more exciting and chaotic predraft process. If the top 3 picks are a combination of the Raiders, Jets, Cardinals, and Browns, then the top of the draft will likely be 3 QBs (Dante Moore included).
Daniel Jones and Kyler Murray are probably the only veteran QBs worth starting that could become available this offseason. That's why a bridge QB like Malik Willis makes a lot of sense, regardless of where the Jets end up in the standings.