New York Jets (Last Year: 5-12)
2025 NFL Season Preview:
Veteran Additions:
QB Justin Fields, FB Andrew Beck, WR Josh Reynolds, WR Tyler Johnson, TE Stone Smartt, OT Chuka Okorafor, C Josh Myers, DT Derrick Nnadi, DT Byron Cowart, CB Brandon Stephens, S Andre Cisco.
Draft Picks:
OT Armand Membou, TE Mason Taylor, CB Azareye’h Thomas, WR Arian Smith, S Malachi Moore. Jets Rookie Forecast
Offseason Losses:
QB Aaron Rodgers, WR Davante Adams, TE Tyler Conklin, OT Tyron Smith, DE Solomon Thomas, DT Javon Kinlaw, DT Javon Kinlaw, OLB Haason Reddick, LB, C.J. Mosley, CB D.J. Reed, S Chuck Clark, S Ashtyn Davis.
2025 New York Jets Offense:
The Jets had a plan to go all in with Aaron Rodgers last year, but it blew up in their face. Not only did they miss the playoffs in 2024; they couldn’t even reach the seven wins they accumulated with Zach Wilson at quarterback in 2023. This forced the franchise to hit the reset button with new quarterback Justin Fields.
Fields is a former first-round pick with plenty of talent, so there is upside with this move. The floor is low, however, as Fields has never developed as a passer in the pros. He’ll have a talented receiver to help in that regard in Garrett Wilson. The former first-round pick is coming off a down year, but had to deal with Aaron Rodgers’ struggles and Davante Adams’ presence on the field. Adams is gone, so Wilson will be the primary target once again.
Who plays alongside Wilson is the bigger question, as the Jets have a bunch of middling options. Allen Lazard and Malachi Corley are the two incumbents, but it’s difficult to be excited about them. Lazard’s sole upside was his familiarity with Rodgers, so that’s no longer a factor. Corley, meanwhile, did nothing as a rookie. The Jets signed speedy threat Josh Reynolds and then used a fourth-round pick on Arian Smith, who also has blazing speed, but has issues with drops. An earlier draft choice was used on tight end Mason Taylor, who should give the Jets a big upgrade at the position.
The only player the Jets obtained before Taylor in the 2025 NFL Draft was first-rounder Armand Membou. The seventh-overall selection has ridiculous upside with his elite athleticism. He should be a big upgrade at right tackle, serving as the bookend to second-year left tackle Olu Fashanu. The Penn State product had a mediocre rookie season overall, but was better when he played left tackle rather than right tackle. He has big upside as well, so he could make a big leap in 2025.
The top blocker on New York’s front is Alijah Vera-Tucker. Although he’s an incredibly talented and versatile guard, Vera-Tucker has an extensive injury history that can’t be ignored. While healthy, he and John Simpson will once again form an excellent guard tandem. They’ll flank former second-round center Joe Tippman, who made big strides in his sophomore campaign. He could be even better in 2025.
The improved blocking this year should help Breece Hall, who is coming off a down year. Hall seemed to be missing the explosion he possessed earlier in his career, but he’s young enough to regain it. He’s also a tremendous receiver out of the backfield, though that doesn’t exactly pair well with Fields because mobile quarterbacks usually don’t dump off passes to their running backs as often as pocket quarterbacks.
2025 New York Jets Defense:
The Jets were able to go 7-10 two years ago despite having Aaron Rodgers for only four snaps. Thus, there was an expectation that the Jets would have the same sort of floor in 2024, giving them a good chance to reach the playoffs. Instead, the defense regressed markedly. New York ranked 20th in points allowed.
The coaching change obviously played a factor, as New York declined defensively once Robert Saleh was fired. There were personnel changes that had an impact as well. John Franklin-Myers isn’t known by most casual fans, but his departure the prior offseason was extremely impactful. His absence allowed the opposition to greet Quinnen Williams with constant double teams. Williams, as a consequence, wasn’t as dominant as he was in 2023. The Jets signed a trio of new defensive linemen to help – Derrick Nnadi, Byron Cowart, Jay Tufele – but none of these new players will offer the same presence as Franklin-Myers. Nnadi is the favorite to start next to Williams, but he’s coming off an awful season.
The Jets at least have some talent on the edge to complement Williams, though one of the starters wasn’t around last year. That would be Jermaine Johnson, who was limited to just two games because of a torn Achilles. The injury occurred early in the season, so Johnson should be close to 100 percent by the beginning of the 2025 campaign. There’s also Will McDonald, who collected a team-high 10.5 sacks in 2024.
The Jets also had injury problems at cornerback. Their top trio of cornerbacks – Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed, Michael Carter – missed a combined nine games, as it was commonplace for one to be sidelined after the other. Reed is gone after signing with the Lions, so the Jets will need Gardner and Carter to rebound with stronger seasons after having down 2024 campaigns. New York compensated for the loss of Reed by signing Brandon Stephens and using a third-round pick on Azareye’h Thomas. Stephens struggled in Baltimore last year, while Thomas was expected to be chosen in the second frame.
Another new defensive back is Andre Cisco, an athletic player with upside. Cisco is coming off a down 2024, but he has the ability to improve. He’ll be better than the departed Ashtyn Davis. He’ll play next to Tony Adams, a mediocre starting safety.
As for the linebackers, the Jets have a solid duo in Quincy Williams and Jamien Sherwood. C.J. Mosley played just four games last year, but he wasn’t missed because of how well Sherwood performed. Williams, meanwhile, was voted as the better Williams by the players in the NFL Top 100 list.
2025 New York Jets Schedule and Intangibles:
Greg Zuerlein was one of the best kickers in the NFL in 2023, but he struggled last year and was replaced by Anders Carlson, who went 8-of-10. The Jets ended up waiving Carlson and replaced him with Harrison Mevis.
Punter Thomas Morstead is also gone. Replacing him is undrafted rookie Austin McNamara.
The Jets have a third-place schedule, but they still have some tough opponents like the Ravens, Broncos, Steelers, and the Bills twice, of course. However, they have easy opponents as well like the Browns, Saints, Panthers, and Cowboys.
2025 New York Jets Rookies:
Go here for the Jets Rookie Forecast, a page with predictions like which rookie will bust and which rookie will become a solid starter.
2025 New York Jets Positional Rankings (1-5 stars):
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Projection: 7-10 (3rd in AFC East)
2024 Projection: 11-6. 2024 Actual Result: 5-12.
2023 Projection: 12-5. 2023 Actual Result: 7-10.
2022 Projection: 3-14. 2022 Actual Result: 7-10.
2021 Projection: 4-13. 2021 Actual Result: 4-13.
2020 Projection: 3-13. 2020 Actual Result: 2-14.
2019 Projection: 10-6. 2019 Actual Result: 7-9.
2018 Projection: 5-11. 2018 Actual Result: 4-12.
2017 Projection: 2-14. 2017 Actual Result: 5-11.
2016 Projection: 6-10. 2016 Actual Result: 5-11.
NFL Draft Team Grade: A Grade
Goals Entering the 2025 NFL Draft: The Jets have quickly flipped from win-now mode to rebuilding for the future. It would be great if they could somehow find their quarterback of the future with their second selection. They also need to address the trenches, as their pass protection and pass rush are both very shaky. Finding another weapon for their next signal-caller is imperative as well.
2025 NFL Draft Accomplishments: The Jets had their potential quarterback of the future fall right into their laps in the second round, but they were one of many quarterback-needy teams to pass on Shedeur Sanders. I believe this to be a mistake. Fortunately for the Jets, they otherwise put together a strong draft class.
New York’s first five picks all scored A- or higher, and all seven of their selections earned at least a B+. While the Jets didn’t draft a potential franchise quarterback, they at least found support for whomever that may be in the future with outstanding blocking from Armand Membou, and talented skill players like Mason Taylor and Arian Smith. The Jets also acquired two promising prospects for their secondary. Their final two choices should help them put more pressure on Josh Allen.
The only way this draft would have been better for the Jets is if they managed to obtain a quarterback. This is why I’m not awarding them with an A+, but they did a great job overall.
NFL Draft Individual Grades:
7. Armand Membou, OT, Missouri – A+ Grade
I have to grade this as an A+. I mentioned that Trent Williams and Tristan Wirfs were the only offensive linemen in the same athletic category as Will Campbell. That also applies to Armand Membou, expect Membou has longer arms and a wider wingspan than Campbell. The Jets can start Membou at right tackle and eventually move him to the blind side if Olu Fashanu doesn’t pan out. Either way though, the Jets have a bookend of tackles for the next 3-4 years.
42. Mason Taylor, TE, LSU – A- Grade
The Jets had just one viable receiving threat in Garrett Wilson after losing Davante Adams. They needed another wide receiver or a tight end, and they opted for the latter, who is arguably the best player available among the two positions. This is a good pick, and as a bonus, the Jets get to obtain a former rival’s son, which is fun.
73. Azareye’h Thomas, CB, Florida State – A+ Grade
The Jets lost a starting cornerback in free agency, so they had to find a replacement. Azareye’h Thomas is a very tall cornerback who covered at a high level in school, and he has the stamp of approval from Aaron Glenn, which has to count for something. I had him in the first or second round the entire time, so I love the value.
110. Arian Smith, WR, Georgia – A Grade
The Jets were lacking downfield play-making talent outside of Garrett Wilson, so they had to draft a receiver at some point. If you’re talking about downfield play-making, Arian Smith fits that description with his great speed and upside. Smith could have easily gone a round earlier with no complaints.
130. Malachi Moore, S, Alabama – A- Grade
Malachi Moore improved steadily throughout his collegiate career after disappointing early. If the upward trend continues, Moore could end up starting for the Jets, who have had safety issues for quite some time.
162. Francisco Mauigoa, DE/OLB, Miami – B+ Grade
Francisco Mauigoa was a productive player at Miami who ended up testing well at the combine. The Jets needed to improve their pass rush, and Mauigoa makes sense in the middle of the fifth frame.
176. Tyler Baron, DE, Miami – B+ Grade
I had Tyler Baron going around this area, so he fits the range. It also makes sense that the Jets would draft him, given that they need as many pass rushers as possible to take down Josh Allen.
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