NFL 2026: Who Should Be the Next Jets Quarterback?

• A lingering NFL offseason story is the next Jets quarterback and who it should be
• After a 3-win campaign and in the middle of another rebuild, the Jets need a competent field general at QB
• Who is available? And who is the best fit?

And Again, the Jets Need a QB

The Jets’ reputation is justifiably horrible. Since their consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances with Mark Sanchez under center, they’ve gone through Geno Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Josh McCown, Sam Darnold, Zach Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Justin Fields, and Tyrod Taylor.

It is not lost on any player that they alienated a legend in Rodgers, buried Darnold, and discarded Smith. Rodgers is Rodgers. Darnold just won the Super Bowl with the Seahawks. Smith cobbled together a very respectable career.

Ordinarily, the Jets would be expected to try to find their long-term QB solution in the 2026 NFL Draft. However, this is a shaky QB draft class. Fernando Mendoza of Indiana is not a prototypical first overall pick at QB, but the Raiders are almost assuredly taking him.

Oregon’s Dante Moore, viewed as the second-best draftable QB, decided to return to college in what is widely believed to be a tacit decision not to go to the Jets.

Fortunately for the Jets, there are too many veteran QBs available for every candidate to reject them out of hand.

As horribly as the Jets are perceived, they’ll get a recognizable name. Maybe even one who can help them. A lot.

Kyler Murray – Odds +300

Murray is in that weird space where he was the Cardinals’ first overall draft pick who, after 7 years in the league, is not an outright bust along the lines of Ryan Leaf or JaMarcus Russell, but is not the guy Arizona’s new head coach, Mike LaFleur, wants to move forward with.

The team essentially washed its hands of him in 2025, using a foot injury as an excuse.

Murray is a 2X Pro Bowler with twice as many career TD passes as picks. He is getting the reputation as a coach-killer after what happened with Kliff Kingsbury, with whom he was supposed to pair to turn the Cardinals into title contenders, having been fired and unable to get another head coaching gig.

It’s unfair to blame Murray for what happened with Jonathan Gannon and why he was fired.

Murray is only 28. There was backlash when the Cardinals signed Murray to a contract extension and attempted to insert contractual language requiring him to, y’know, work instead of playing video games. In some quarters, it was even categorized in a racial context. Their concerns turned out to be valid as they were worried that he might grow complacent once he was paid.

The team cratered not long after that. As the star of the team, the #1 overall pick, he’s the lightning rod.

All of that is in the past. With the Jets, who are going to try to improve significantly from 3-14, he could find a home with new offensive coordinator Frank Reich. Unlike Justin Fields, he can throw the ball accurately in addition to running it.

Kirk Cousins – Odds +400

The above tweet sums it up, unless neither can find a suitable partner and they have no choice but to move forward in a marriage of convenience. But if Cousins’ situation degenerates to that degree, expect him to retire and go to the broadcast booth rather than to the Jets.

Forget it.

Tua Tagovailoa – Odds +500

Tua does not have a strong arm, which is required in MetLife Stadium given the wind currents.

He has been awful in cold weather, which, in the Northeast, is a problem.

His concussion history and how Jets’ QBs tend to get hit very hard and injured put his long-term health, if not his life, at risk.

This isn’t a bad fit. It’s a no fit.

Tua should go to a controlled environment for a good team as a backup or a team with a “QB guru” and a good offensive line to protect him if he needs to play. Figure the Falcons, Rams, or Buccaneers.

Not the Jets.

Mac Jones – No Odds Available

Jones resurrected his image under Kyle Shanahan as he went 5-3 standing in for Brock Purdy. He had a 97.4 passer rating, threw 13 TD passes against 6 picks.

He is not a free agent and the Jets would need to trade for him. The 49ers are Super Bowl contenders and need a reliable backup, so unless a team knocks them over in a trade offer, they won’t move him.

It’s best for Jones to stay by the Bay for another year.

Anthony Richardson – No Odds Available

Richardson comes across as a hard worker and a generally great guy. The problem is that his accuracy is nonexistent. He’s worse than Fields. He can run and he’s very big at 6’4″, 244 lbs.

His future is likely to be a Taysom Hill/Kordell Stewart-type who is used for certain packages, but will not be a starting QB.

This would be disastrous for the Jets and for Richardson.

The Jets Have One Option

While there are some projects available in the draft who could be looked at as a potential asset moving forward, notably Drew Allar of Penn State, the Jets need to have a QB from whom they can reasonably expect competent, professional play.

Head coach Aaron Glenn cannot have another 3-14 season. Even a 5-12 season will get him fired. So it’s essential that they show marked improvement. With their cap space available and litany of draft picks, they can bring in notable talent and be competitive.

Although Murray has a reputation for not working hard, a second chance away from the pressures of being the #1 overall pick will undoubtedly benefit him. Proving that he can still be a star and doing it in a black hole for QBs would boost his reputation and salvage his career.

The next Jets quarterback will be Kyler Murray.