Unexpected Jets QB Competition in 2026 (Prediction)
The New York Jets will have a bridge quarterback competition in 2026, and the quarterback who wins will be an unexpected selection, because the four players involved are ones no one expects to be in camp. The four players are Brady Cook, Jordan Ta’amu, Hendon Hooker, and Malik Willis.
The Jets will have three quarterbacks in camp battling for two 53-man roster spots, and the third will be on the Jets practice squad.
Willis is an unrestricted free agent in 2026, and the Jets will have to wait to sign him after the league year opens in 2026. On the other hand, Cook, Ta’amu, and Hooker are what are known as “street” free agents. They can sign with a team any time during the offseason, and the Jets will sign both to futures deals when the regular season ends.
Cook and Ta’amu will be signed for the league minimum of $885,000. Hooker’s deal will be for $1.075 million, and Willis will have to negotiate a contract.
The Jets should sign Willis to a two-year deal, just in case they don’t want to start a 2027 rookie QB right away. Willis’s limited experience could have him land with the Jets for a minimum base salary contract of 2 years, $3 million ($525,000 guaranteed).
As a vested veteran, if Willis is on the roster in Week 1 of either season, his paragraph 5 salary becomes fully guaranteed.
If Ta’amu or Cook were to make the 53-man roster, the player would be an exclusive rights free agent in 2027. That means, if the Jets wanted to go that route, they’d have a cheap backup at the league minimum salary.
Hooker would be a restricted free agent. Based on historical rates of increase, the RFA right of first refusal tender would be $4,038,109 in 2027.
Time will tell who makes the 70-man active roster/practice squad, but it will be an interesting summer.