The New York Jets are in the middle of a completely lost season. Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey have traded away a few key players on defense, Justin Fields and his $40 million contract haven't worked out at all, and the. 3-11 Jets looked hapless in Week 15.
To say things have gone poorly would be an understatement. But there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon. The Jets, with a 3-11 record, have a chance to secure the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and take a franchise quarterback.
But, there's only one realistic option, Fernando Mendoza, and the Jets aren't picking first overall. Despite that, ESPN's Ben Solak is urging the Jets to make the bold decision to execute a trade-up at the upcoming NFL Draft to select Mendoza.
Jets urged to make aggressive trade-up to select Fernando Mendoza
"I generally eschew draft questions until I've actually gotten a handle on the class, but in the case of Fernando Mendoza, I've seen enough: He's pretty clearly a QB worthy of the No. 1 pick," Solak writes. "I don't know where the Jets will end up in the draft order, but they should try to trade up for Mendoza..."
Mendoza has led the Indiana Hoosiers to the top regular-season seed in College Football, and in his Junior season, he has 2,980 passing yards with 33 touchdowns, six interceptions, and just won the Heisman Award.
There's no quarterback expected to be in the 2026 NFL Draft better than Mendoza, and Solak believes the Jets should execute an aggressive trade-up to bring the Indiana quarterback to New York.
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The Jets' current draft slot might not be what it winds up being come the end of the year, but as things stand, they're picking behind three teams in the standings: The New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, and Tennessee Titans.
Of these three, there's a clear team the Jets should be worried about stealing the number one overall pick, and Mendoza. The Raiders, with Geno Smith struggling immensely this season, are clear suitors for Mendoza should they land the top pick.
The 2-12 Raiders have three games left: a matchup against the Houston Texans, the Giants, and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Raiders aren't likely to win any of those matchups, making their odds for the number one overall pick great.
But, as long as they don't land that top spot, the Jets should aggressively pursue a trade to number one overall to select Mendoza to be their franchise quarterback.
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