One man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity.
The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Washington Commanders 29-18 in Week 16. That victory claimed the NFC East and simultaneously eliminated the Dallas Cowboys from playoff contention.
That is massively good news for the New York Jets.
The Jets own the Cowboys’ second-round draft choice in 2026. With Dallas eliminated from the postseason, that guarantees that selection will be a top-50 pick for the Jets.
The green and white are currently slated to have four picks inside the top 50 in April’s draft. That includes their own first-round pick, the Indianapolis Colts’ first-round pick, their own second-round pick, and Dallas’ second-round pick.
Trades Are Aging Like a Fine Wine
The Jets made two franchise-altering deals at the 2025 NFL trade deadline.
They shipped defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys and traded Sauce Gardner to the Colts.
In return, the Jets received three future first-round draft choices and a future second-round draft choice.
The Colts and Cowboys seemed to benefit from an immediate dopamine rush from those blockbuster trades.
Indianapolis beat the Atlanta Falcons to improve to 8-2 on the season in Gardner’s first game with the team.
Dallas experienced an even bigger impact. Williams’ arrival sparked a three-game winning streak, improving the team’s record to 6-5-1.
However, both teams have collapsed.
The Cowboys have now lost two in a row and have since been eliminated. While the Colts have lost four in a row and could realistically lose out the rest of the season based on who they’re scheduled to play.
Devastating news for both of those franchises, but also spectacular news for the Jets.
This Sets up the Jets to Go Down Whichever Path They Prefer
There is a strong case to be made that the Jets can simply stick and pick. Those four picks inside the top 50 could and should be starters for your football team.
The Jets, at 3-11 heading into Week 16, have plenty of needs, so finding a place to use them won’t be a problem.
However, this also arms the Jets with more ammunition than any other team in football to be aggressive. This is a quarterback-driven league, and bluntly, the Jets don’t have a viable one. Quite frankly, they will likely be seeking multiple quarterbacks this offseason.
Tyrod Taylor and Justin Fields’ future with the Jets is murky at best.
The Jets will need a bridge quarterback and a young quarterback to develop. That young passer could come via the 2026 NFL draft.
The Jets have the assets in the pantry if they want to push their chips into the middle of the table to trade up.
What those trades provided to the Jets was optionality. Whatever direction they want to go, they can go. However, they took a big risk.
Williams and Gardner are former first-team All-Pros. They are proven players at big-time positions. The Jets flipped them for lottery tickets. Those can hit, and those can flop. If the Jets want to turn this ship around, they have to hit, or else there will be another regime change coming on 1 Jets Drive.
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