6 Thoughts About Jets' 2026 Captains After Thursday's Announcement

Here's what to think about Gang Green's new leadership group.

Geno Smith is one of the Jets' captains for the 2026 season—here's what his responsibility means. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Less than two weeks away from the start of the 2026 NFL regular season, the Jets unveiled their captains for the year ahead on Thursday morning.

our 2026 team captains

— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 3, 2026

Geno Smith, Joe Tippmann, Harrison Phillips, Demario Davis, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Isaiah Williams were all selected in a vote by their teammates. The six captains are the same number that head coach Aaron Glenn used last year.

Following Thursday's announcement, let's get into six thoughts on the Jets' captains for the 2026 campaign.

6. Player focused

Since Glenn became head coach, the people who are captains on the Jets roster are chosen solely by a vote from the players. The more votes someone gets, the more likely they are to be a captain.

Not every coach does it that way, but it highlights the Jets' player-first mindset. They want people to be players who want to be members of the Jets, to be part of the culture that finally turns the team into a winner.

Time will tell whether that system works, but it's a good way for the Jets to carry favor with their roster as they head into Glenn's second season at the helm.

5. Newcomers make mark

When general manager Darren Mougey and Glenn were first hired, they knew they had to revamp the roster in several key areas. That included leadership. From their first training camp to now, five of the six captains named this year were guys who were brought on either in free agency or via trades.

Phillips and Williams were two returning veterans from last year but were acquired well after camp. Smith, Davis, and Fitzpatrick were all welcome additions this offseason. Tippmann, meanwhile, was the only player drafted and retained by the organization to be given the honor.

In short, many of the top leaders on this team are newcomers by design.

4. First-time honors

Williams remains an incredible story for the Jets.

Acquired in a trade with the Bengals early last season, he was released by the Jets after a disastrous first game with the team in Miami. He kept playing, though, and eventually became the team's MVP of the 2025 season thanks to his return specialties. This is his first year as a captain, and deservingly so.

Isaiah Williams has shown why he deserves to be one of the Jets' captains. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It's also the first time Tippmann has been given the honors. The former second-round pick signed a four-year, $62 million extension during the offseason. Along the way, he has become an easy-to-talk-to leader who is coming into his own as a player. It's always nice to celebrate first-time captains, and both Tippmann and Williams are deserving of their honors.

3. Defensive catalysts

From the moment they stepped on the field, Davis and Fitzpatrick were obvious leaders in the clubhouse. The same could be said for Phillips, even though he was with the organization last year. Nothing changes that. Davis and Fitzpatrick also put less pressure on some of the younger and improving players on the roster, like Jamien Sherwood and AZ Thomas. By having veterans to rely on, those young players can continue to focus on their development without needing to force themselves into leadership roles.

Sherwood, in particular, struggled mightily with that in 2025. New York's defensive catalysts have changed, but it's for a good reason going forward.

2. Where is Garrett Wilson?

Many Jets fans were shocked when Garrett Wilson was not named a captain on the offense this year. Not only is Wilson the best player on New York's team, but one of the most loyal guys, as well.

That said, Wilson did suffer a knee injury that caused him to miss a majority of the 2025 campaign. His return has been well celebrated, but several factors can go into why a top player wasn't picked to be a captain.

The lack of Garrett Wilson on the Jets' captain list isn't that concerning when you think about it. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's also not something to really be concerned about. New York could casually have put a cap on captains at six this year. It's the same number they picked last year after all. If that was the case, Wilson may have come up just close on the ballot for players.

Either way, he's expected to be a key cog for the offense going forward and a strong leader.

1. Geno Smith leads all

New York will go as far as Smith takes them. That was true at the start of camp, and that is true now. While the former second-round pick had plenty of miscues off the field during his first stint with the Jets, Smith is much older and more mature now in the locker room.

There's a reason why players were happy to name Smith a captain: he has grown so much on the field to be a competent answer at quarterback for New York.

Time will tell whether he ends up being New York's destined savior, but it's not hard to credit the growth Smith has gone through as a player who was once punched by a teammate early in his career to now.

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