The New York Jets gutted out a victory at cold and rainy MetLife Stadium on Sunday, defeating the Atlanta Falcons 27-24.
Despite jumping from the No. 4 pick in the draft to No. 7 after the win per Tankathon, head coach Aaron Glenn isn’t upset, and neither should fans.
A young team learning how to win is more important than a high draft pick, and Glenn said as much during his Monday morning press conference.
When asked about the Jets winning games even if they don’t have something to play for, the first-year head coach had a simple response.
“Winning is contagious.”
Glenn then brought up his time with the New Orleans Saints, noting their focus shifted as the wins kept coming in.
“It was not a question of whether we were going to win or not it was how many points we were going to win by. That’s what happens when you sustain a level of winning,” Glenn said via The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt.
Jets Fans Shouldn’t Worry About Draft Position
Despite dropping a few spots in the first round, New York Jets fans shouldn’t be concerned about not being in a position to select a top quarterback in the 2026 draft.
In recent memory, the most successful quarterbacks haven’t been top-three draft choices.
Over the last decade, several MVP-level and Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks weren’t even selected in the top five.
In 2016, the Dallas Cowboys selected All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott in the fourth round.
The 2017 draft saw Patrick Mahomes go No. 10 overall, and he’s chasing after Tom Brady as one of the greatest ever to play the position.
The Baltimore Ravens traded back up to No. 32 in 2018 to select two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson, and it’s worked out fairly well for them.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts went 53rd overall in the 2020 draft, and he’s now a Super Bowl champion with the game’s MVP to show for it.
You don’t need to select first overall to change your franchise. Sure, Joe Burrow helped transform the Cincinnati Bengals into a perennial contender in 2019, but there are so many other cases of a team finding their quarterback in different ways.
Jets’ Other Draft Picks Continue to Rise
Even if you’re disappointed in the New York Jets’ own first-round pick continuing to rise, the one they received in the Sauce Gardner trade with the Indianapolis Colts has plummeted since making the deal.
Since the trade deadline, the Colts are 1-2 and have dropped out of first place in the AFC South.
Injuries to key players haven’t helped their cause either.
Gardner suffered a calf injury during Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans, and resurgent quarterback Daniel Jones is playing through a fractured fibula.
If Indianapolis continues its downward trend, the Jets could find themselves with two top-20 picks come April; the Colts’ pick has already dropped to No. 23 overall.
All this to say, regardless of how many wins the Jets finish with this season, the team is set up for success in the future.
If Glenn can continue to keep his players engaged and focused in an already lost season, imagine what he’ll be able to do after another offseason of adding more talent to the roster.
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