Jets-Fernando Mendoza Speculation Feels Overblown

The New York Jets have been taking hits left and right this offseason.

New York went 3-14 in 2025 and all of the noise around the franchise has been pretty negative. It was a bad season, but some of the noise out there is a bit harsh. The Jets entered the season with a brand new head coach and general manager, moved on from veterans like Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams, and specifically talked about the need for time to actually change the culture of the franchise. New York struggled out of the gate with Justin Fields under center, dealt injuries including Garrett Wilson and Alijah Vera-Tucker, and traded Sauce Gardner, Quinnen Williams, and Michael Carter II away.

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By the end of the season, an already depleted team was rolling an undrafted rookie out at quarterback without many weapons around and the defense lost its top two players. It's no surprise they weren't winning games. But there are core pieces in place, like Wilson, and continuity with the team not needing to hire a head coach and general manager this offseason. Plus, the Jets are loaded with draft capital — including the No. 2 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft — and flushed with salary cap space. This is a team that could be aggressive this offseason, but they continue to be bashed.

The Jets are taking a lot of heat

Indiana's Fernando Mendoza (15) talks to the crowd on the podium after the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

For example, Bleacher Report's Alex Kay made a list of the best and worst landing spots for Fernando Mendoza and Carson Beck and had the Jets as the worst option for Mendoza.

"Mendoza should have breathed a sigh of relief when the New York Jets failed to land the No. 1 overall pick," Kay wrote. "The organization has effectively become a graveyard littered with promising quarterback prospects who haven't panned out. While the Jets are most likely to stand pat and take the best available prospect at No. 2, the Raiders would at least have to entertain a Godfather offer from Gang Green that includes their first-round selection as well as additional premium picks in both the 2026 and future drafts.

"If that were to happen, Mendoza's unique talents would run the serious risk of being wasted in the Big Apple. The long-suffering Jets have drafted four quarterbacks with top-40 picks over the last two decades, none of whom panned out as promised."

It's a bit much, especially because the Las Vegas Raiders — who also went 3-14 and then fired their head coach — and the Miami Dolphins — who also fired their head coach and are also all sorts of messed up — were called the best fits for the Heisman Trophy winner. At least the Jets have some sort of stability at head coach, a superstar receiver, and an offensive line in place. The perception around the Jets isn't good right now, but hopefully this offseason changes that.

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