Jets Insider Crosses $180 Million Star Off QB Wish List

The New York Jets have been connected to a handful of quarterback options.

Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Jets general manager Darren Mougey speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

A handful of quarterback options have already been thrown out there for the New York Jets. Although there is a lot of speculation and rumors out there, that doesn't necessarily mean that the Jets are targeting each name that has been out there.

For example, Brian Costello of The New York Post reported that Kirk Cousins is "not on the Jets' radar" despite early rumors saying otherwise.

"Kirk Cousins is not on the Jets’ radar at all,” Costello wrote. “You can cross him [Cousins] off the list.”

Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic had a similar sentiment while breaking down the various options for the Jets at quarterback.

The Jets have a QB question mark

Jan 4, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) passes the ball against the New Orleans Saints during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

"Kirk Cousins: The sense I get is that Cousins doesn’t consider the Jets to be a desired destination unless there aren’t any other starting options out there for him. I’m not sure the Jets are especially interested anyway," Rosenblatt wrote.

Cousins is a four-time Pro Bowler who has been connected to New York in the past and is expected to be released by the Atlanta Falcons from his four-year, $180 million deal and enter free agency. In 2025, he made eight starts for the Falcons and went 5-3. Overall, he played in 10 games and had 1,721 passing yards, 10 touchdown passes and five interceptions. Cousins is someone who has put up some prolific passing numbers throughout his career and showed in 2025 that he can still play. Now, he's 37 years old but the signs are not pointing in New York's direction for him.

Rumors and speculation continue to swirl. Fortunately, we are one week away from free agency kicking off on March 9. Over the next week, we should start to see movement around the league even before free agency. For example, the Detroit Lions agreed to trade David Montgomery to the Houston Texans on Monday morning.

The more movement around the league, the better. There are going to be options out there if the Jets want to bring in new quarterbacks, even if Cousins isn't one of them. Over the next week, we should start to get a better idea of the team's plan.