As the New York Jets turn the page to a new chapter in franchise history after the hire of head coach Aaron Glenn, the team will do so without quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who the team announced won’t be back in 2025.
Now, the Jets are in the same boat they were before Rodgers came aboard for two seasons, with the team looking for a new starting quarterback. We would expect New York to have a veteran on the roster as an insurance policy, but the team should also explore the 2025 NFL Draft for a long-term solution.
In his latest mock draft for NFL.com, Gennaro Fillice has the Jets making a move up past the Las Vegas Raiders via a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the No. 5 pick, which they then use on Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders.
“In the wake of the Aaron Rodgers era error, the Jets have a talented roster without a quarterback,” Filice wrote. “At the moment, the free-agent crop at the position is headlined by Sam Darnold. Don’t think a Darnold-Jets reunion is on the table, so Gang Green leapfrogs the QB-needy Raiders to snag a signal-caller who certainly wouldn’t shy away from the bright lights of Broadway. New York tabloids rejoice.”
The Jets are currently sitting in the No. 7 spot in the draft order and they have four quarterback-needy teams in front of them, including the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants and Raiders.
If the Jets want any chance of securing Sanders or Miami’s Cam Ward, they’re likely going to have to trade up. But even in this scenario from Filice, it’s going to take a bit of luck, also, as the Browns and Giants both passed on a quarterback after the Titans took Ward with the No. 1 overall pick.
The furthest we could see Sanders falling is to No. 6 to the Raiders. Minority owner Tom Brady has a great relationship with the Colorado product and owner Mark Davis has hinted to Sanders himself that Las Vegas could draft him.
At the end of the day, it could come down to the Raiders and Jets battling it out for a trade up to grab Sanders. If so, the Raiders are flush with draft capital and have one pick in every round, including two in the third and three in the sixth.
New York, meanwhile, doesn’t have a seventh-round pick but has two in the fifth and sixth.
There’s just too many things that have to go right for the Jets to get their grab one of the best quarterbacks in this year’s class. It’s much more realistic New York drafts one in the second round or later.
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