New York Jets

The Jets carry $95.2M in dead money (4th most in the league) but boast $34.5M in current room and a path to $101.0M next season, making smart cuts now the key to unlocking a genuine spending spree.

34 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Nine starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Nine picks in the upcoming draft including three first-rounders, highlighted by acquired picks from the Colts and Cowboys, give the Jets rare top-of-draft firepower to attack their biggest roster holes in a single class.

• Acquired: Round 6 from Chiefs, this draft
• Acquired: Round 1 from Colts, this draft
• Acquired: Round 1 from Cowboys, this draft
• Acquired: Round 6 from Eagles, this draft
• Acquired: Round 7 from Seahawks, next draft
• Traded away: Round 7 to Chargers, next draft
• Traded away: Round 6 to Vikings, this draft
• Traded away: Round 7 to Panthers, this draft

The roster's top strength is its defensive front and safety combination headlined by a 90 overall linebacker, an 89 overall safety, and a 25-year-old Star defensive tackle; the weakest spot is the quarterback room, where the starter grades at 72 overall and the depth behind him offers little comfort.

• Chigh

  Josh Myers (72 overall) starts at center on a depth chart ranked 31st in the league, and Xavier Newman behind him is a cut candidate, making this the single thinnest position on the roster.

• CBhigh

  Brandon Stephens (76 overall) starts at cornerback but the unit ranks 30th in starter quality and 29th in depth, with no high-upside developmental cornerback entrenched as a future answer.

• LThigh

  Olu Fashanu (75 overall, 23 years old) is the starter but the position ranks 28th in the league, and Max Mitchell and Courtland Ford offer limited insurance behind him.

• QBhigh

  Geno Smith (72 overall) starts above Cade Klubnik and Bailey Zappe on a depth chart that ranks 30th in starter quality, making quarterback the most urgent competitive upgrade needed.

• TEhigh

  Kenyon Sadiq (74 overall, 21, Star) and Mason Taylor (74 overall, 22) give the Jets two young starters but the starter grade ranks 28th, signaling the position needs an established playmaker sooner rather than later.

• DTmedium

  T'Vondre Sweat (79 overall) leads a group that ranks 24th in starter quality, and with David Onyemata in the twilight of his career, interior rotation depth is a concern.

• FBmedium

  Andrew Beck (68 overall) is the lone fullback on the depth chart, and the position ranks 8th of 12 teams that carry one, offering modest upgrade potential.

• FSlow

  Andre Cisco (77 overall, Star) starts at free safety but the unit ranks 20th, and the depth behind him is thin with Malachi Moore and Dean Clark well below starter grades.

• LEDGElow

  Will McDonald IV (78 overall, Star) starts at left defensive end with Joseph Ossai and Braiden McGregor behind him, and the starter grades only 20th leaguewide.

• 78Harrison PhillipsDTReleasing Harrison Phillips frees $6.9M against only $610K in dead money, and he is the second defensive tackle on a depth chart where T'Vondre Sweat and younger options can absorb snaps.Frees $6.9M · $610.0K dead
• 76Brandon StephensCBBrandon Stephens frees $9.0M but leaves $5.0M in dead money, and while he starts at cornerback, the team ranks 30th at the position and that cap space is better used pursuing an upgrade.Frees $9.0M · $5.0M dead
• 72Kingsley EnagbareREDGEKingsley Enagbare frees $3.5M with $1.5M in dead money and sits behind David Bailey and Tyler Baron on the right defensive end depth chart, making him a low-impact roster spot.Frees $3.5M · $1.5M dead
• 56Xavier NewmanCXavier Newman frees $1.2M with zero dead money and is the backup center behind Josh Myers, providing little developmental upside at 56 overall to justify keeping the roster spot.Frees $1.2M · $0 dead
• 62Landon YoungRTLandon Young frees $1.1M with zero dead money as the third tackle on the right side behind Membou and Okorafor, making him one of the easiest cap trims on the roster.Frees $1.1M · $0 dead

The Jets possess genuine building blocks in Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, and a young offensive line anchored by 22-year-old Armand Membou, but the franchise is held back by a quarterback situation that ranks near the bottom of the league and a salary-cap picture complicated by $95.2M in dead money. Demario Davis and Minkah Fitzpatrick give the defense star-level production, but Davis is deep into the final chapter of his career and the linebacker succession clock is ticking. David Bailey (23, Superstar) at right defensive end and Armand Membou on the offensive line form a compelling young core, while Garrett Wilson (26, Superstar) and Breece Hall (25, Star) are in their prime. The front office holds $34.5M in current cap room and a path to $101.0M in space next season, which opens a meaningful free-agency window, but roster holes at cornerback, center, and quarterback will require both cap spending and the team's nine upcoming draft picks to address before this team can realistically compete.

The Jets were born in 1960 as the Titans of New York, a charter member of the upstart American Football League, founded by Harry Wismer and playing their first seasons at the Polo Grounds in upper Manhattan. Coached by Hall of Famer Sammy Baugh, the Titans went 7-7 in both 1960 and 1961 but hemorrhaged money; by 1962 the AFL had to assume the team's operating costs. In 1963 a five-man syndicate led by Sonny Werblin bought the bankrupt franchise for $1 million, renamed the team the New York Jets, switched the colors to green and white, and hired Weeb Ewbank as coach and general manager. The defining moment came after the Jets signed Alabama quarterback Joe Namath to a then-record three-year, $427,000 contract in January 1965. New York posted its first winning record in 1967, won the AFL Championship in 1968, and then pulled off one of the greatest upsets in sports history: three days after Namath 'guaranteed' a win, the Jets beat the heavily favored Colts 16-7 in Super Bowl III on January 12, 1969, as roughly 18-point underdogs. Namath was MVP; the victory legitimized the AFL ahead of the 1970 merger. It remains the franchise's only Super Bowl appearance and only championship. Since then the arc has been mostly frustration punctuated by flashes: the 'New York Sack Exchange' defensive line and playoff berths in the early 1980s, a Bill Parcells-led resurgence and 1998 AFC title-game run, and back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances in 2009 and 2010 under Rex Ryan. The Jets have not returned to the playoffs since that 2010 run, the longest active postseason drought in North America's major men's sports leagues, pushed to 15 straight seasons by their 2025 elimination.