Jets Could Show Their Hand at QB at NFL Combine

The New York Jets' plans for the quarterback position for the 2026 season are up in the air, to say the least.

Tyrod Taylor is a free agent after spending the last two seasons with the franchise. He has made it known that he would be willing to return, but ESPN’s Rich Cimini reported that the Jets are "expected to prioritize" other veteran quarterbacks this offseason.

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Justin Fields is under contract, but was benched in 2026. His standing with the franchise is certainly murky. Brady Cook struggled when he got an opportunity to start in place of Fields and Taylor when they were injured. Also, the Jets brought in Bailey Zappe on a futures deal. All in all, the Jets don't have a long-term answer at the game's most important position. With the 2026 National Football League Draft coming up in April, there's been a lot of chatter about the idea of whether the Jets will take a quarterback at some point in the draft.

The Jets have a big few weeks ahead

Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Jets general manager Darren Mougey speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Dante Moore would've been a candidate for the No. 2 pick in the draft, but he opted to go back to school. One of the most important stretches of the NFL offseason will kick off Monday, which could provide hints to how the Jets feel about the question.

The 2026 NFL Scouting Combine will begin on Monday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Over the course of the combine, we'll see the vast majority of the top prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft class in one place with the top decision makers in football also in the same place.

For the Jets, it'll be interesting to see if any rumors surface about meetings with any of the quarterback prospects. Fernando Mendoza is widely expected to be the top prospect and go No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders. Ty Simpson of Alabama is expected to be the No. 2 quarterback in the draft class and will throw at the combine. Other options to watch are Carson Beck of Miami, Garrett Nussmeier of LSU and Drew Allar of Penn State.

The NFL Draft obviously won't be here until April. But the combine is when things really start to heat up. New York has kept things close to the vest since hiring Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn. If we start to see reports pop up around the Jets meeting with quarterback prospects, that could end up being a sign of interest. All in all, it's going to be a fun few weeks and we should start to have a better idea of what New York is planning.

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