The New York Jets had arguably their worst loss of the season on Sunday, surrendering a season-high 48 points to the Jacksonville Jaguars in a brutal defeat.
Trevor Lawrence accounted for six touchdowns, and New York’s offense was unable to keep pace with Jacksonville’s potent offense, culminating in the firing of defensive coordinator Steve Wilks on Monday.
Despite the gut-wrenching loss, the Jets improved their odds at landing one of the 2026 NFL Draft’s top quarterbacks, jumping from No. 7 to No. 5 after the loss via Tankathon.
Not only that, but they got a lot of help from around the league, with the New Orleans Saints winning their second game in a row, the Washington Commanders snapping their eight-game losing streak, and the Indianapolis Colts losing their fourth game in a row.
Whose Ahead of the Jets in Draft Position?
As of December 15, the only teams ahead of the New York Jets are the Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, and New York Giants.
The Titans and Giants won’t be in the market for a quarterback; they’ll be running it back with Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart in 2026.
But the Browns and Raiders are a threat to the Jets in their pursuit of landing one of the top quarterbacks, given their needs at the position.
Shedeur Sanders has shown flashes of brilliance in his four-game stretch as the starter, but he hasn’t been consistent enough to warrant naming him the guy heading into 2026.
Las Vegas, meanwhile, is almost guaranteed to find themselves a new trigger man this offseason; a brigade of Geno Smith and Kenny Pickett isn’t something you can count on for sustained winning.
The Jets’ next game, a matchup with the New Orleans Saints, will be pivotal in terms of draft positioning and deciding who picks where.
Over the next few weeks, there will be several games to keep a close eye on for fans keen on New York’s pick landing as high as possible.
In Week 16, the Raiders and Giants faceoff in a must-win game for Las Vegas if the Jets have any hope of jumping their QB-needy AFC rival.
That same week, the Browns will face their division rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in Cleveland.
In 2024, the Steelers lost to the Browns 24-19 in their matchup in Cleveland, and Jets fans should be hoping for the same result.
The Colts’ Draft Pick is Looking Better and Better
When the New York Jets dealt Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts at the trade deadline, they assumed the first-round pick they got back in 2026 would be in the high 20s, given the Colts early success in the 2025 season.
Instead, Indianapolis has lost four straight, and that pick has dropped all the way down to No. 18.
Given all their injuries, including Gardner and quarterback Daniel Jones, it’s entirely possible that the pick drops even further, especially with their upcoming schedule.
“Currently, the 2026 pick is 18th overall. The Colts (8-5), already reeling before the Jones injury, have a brutal remaining schedule — Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans. Combined record: 36-16,” wrote ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
“If the Colts lose out, the draft pick could go as high as 13th, give or take a spot. Coupled with their own first-round pick (currently seventh), the Jets would have plenty of ammo to trade up for a player. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, anyone?”
New York could end up having two top-16 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, creating a multiude of options for the team as they continue to rebuild the roster.
All this to say, despite the Jets heading towards a demoralizing end to the 2025 season, the draft positioning game is the one thing fans can grasp onto as they look for hope in an otherwise lost season.
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