Jets, Raiders No. 1 Pick Trade Buzz Is All Over the Place

The New York Jets don't have a clear answer at quarterback right now. Out of all of the talking points around the franchise, that much is clear.

Justin Fields is on the roster, Tyrod Taylor is a free agent and Brady Cook is under contract for the 2026 season as well. The Jets have zigged when others thought they would zag since Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey took over as head coach and general manager. Who saw the Sauce Gardner trade coming? Also, after all of the trade rumors of the last year, who would've thought Breece Hall would still be in town now on the franchise tag? All of this is to say, until the Jets announce a move themselves, don't count anything out.

The most obvious path forward seemingly would be moving on from Justin Fields and then bringing in one or two veterans and maybe a prospect to get through the 2026 season. Then, with the three first-round picks New York has, find the franchise guy in the quarterback-heavy 2027 draft class. That's not to say the Jets should mail it in with the 2026 season. Try to fill as many holes as possible and win as many games as possible with whoever is under center and then go hard at the position in the 2027 draft class with one of the three first-round picks, or packaging them together in a deal to move up, if need be.

Who will the Jets select in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft?

Indiana University quarterback Fernando Mendoza speaks to the media at the 2026 NFL Combine. | Clark Wade/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One idea that shouldn't be considered likely is the idea of trading up with the Las Vegas Raiders from the No. 2 spot to No. 1 to select Fernando Mendoza. Jets general manager Darren Mougey threw cold water on the idea himself, although he did acknowledge the team will at least talk about it.

"Absolutely, we'll talk about all those things, but I don't think that's happening," Mougey said at the NFL Scouting Combine.

While this is the case, NBC Sports' Matthew Berry shared a column highlighting the "35 most interesting things" he heard from the combine and gave more of a positive spin on the idea of moving up.

There is already plenty of draft noise

Feb 27, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (QB11) speaks to members of the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

"But the feeling I heard is that consensus on Mendoza is that he’s good, not great," Berry wrote. "That his projected No. 1 overall draft selection is more about a very weak QB class than the idea he’s a can’t-miss franchise maker. To put it another way, I spoke to a few scouts who said if Mendoza came out two years ago, he’d have been drafted after Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and maybe Bo Nix. And that if he’d come out last year, he’d had been drafted after Cam Ward. Those are just to give you a comparison level and explain that in most years, Mendoza wouldn’t be the No. 1 overall pick. ...

"Mendoza was awesome last year, of course, but also played behind an incredible offensive line. So, now you have the Raiders, who, ahem, do not have an incredible offensive line. The Raiders have many things, including a bunch of needs all over the roster, a competent current QB in Geno Smith, a division with the Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers so it’ll be a while before they can compete and, oh yeah, a minority owner who is sure to have strong opinions on the QB position. If the Jets offer a haul (and they have the picks to do so) I think there is a non-zero chance the Raiders take it. Let Geno (or another veteran) start this year as they take a QB a little later and try to develop him, or maybe they just wait until next year for a better QB class."

There's certainly a chance that the media's view of Mendoza as the clear-cut, easy No. 1 pick is different from what the actual general managers around the league believe. Still, with Mougey himself saying he doesn't think a trade for the No. 1 pick is coming, that's how Jets fans should be operating right now.

Could things change closer to the NFL Draft? Sure. Think of the 2025 NFL Draft, for example. The Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to get Travis Hunter and sent the No. 5 pick, a 2025 second-rounder, a 2025 fourth-rounder and a 2026 first-rounder to the Cleveland Browns in a pretty shocking move. Nothing can ever truly be ruled out, but don't get your hopes up for Mendoza coming to town.