FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- A look at what's happening around the New York Jets:
1. Time to get busy: The season will come to a merciful end around 7:30 p.m. on Sunday. Early Monday morning, coach Aaron Glenn goes to work on 2026, starting with player exit interviews -- the beginning of an offseason filled with challenges.
Here's a look at some of them.
The coaching staff. Glenn, assuming he's back, must find a permanent replacement for defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, whom he fired after 14 games. One possibility is former Michigan DC and longtime NFL assistant Wink Martindale, whose defenses are known for takeaways -- a major issue for the Jets. There will be speculation about big names such as Jim Schwartz (Cleveland Browns), Jim Leonhard (Denver Broncos) and Al Harris (Chicago Bears). Philosophical alignment is paramount. Interim DC Chris Harris will also be considered.
Glenn could run the defense. The Jets have allowed 468 points, the second most in franchise history. "It doesn't sit well with me at all," he said. Look for significant turnover on the defensive staff.
There could be changes on offense, too. Coordinator Tanner Engstrand doesn't appear to be in danger, but it makes sense to add a coach with experience in developing quarterbacks. Current QBs coach Charles London, a former running backs coach, doesn't have an extensive background with quarterbacks.
The quarterback search. The Jets will look for veteran help, via free agency or a trade (or both). Get ready for an offseason filled with rumors. Joe Burrow? Lamar Jackson? The speculation will be rampant. Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey will leave no stone unturned; they know their next QB move could be legacy-defining.
Jacoby Brissett, Kirk Cousins, Mac Jones, Kyler Murray, Marcus Mariota, Jimmy Garoppolo and Malik Willis are potential targets, though only the latter three will be free agents.
And there's the NFL draft. Guaranteed to be picking from No. 2 to No. 7, the Jets will be within striking distance of Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore (if he declares). Moore's decision could have a huge impact on their draft and free agent strategy. His deadline is Jan. 14 -- or Jan. 23 if Oregon reaches the CFP championship game.
The Jets could wait until 2027 to make a splash in the draft. They have three first-round picks in '27, when Arch Manning, among other top passers, could be available.
A cap cut. Quarterback Justin Fields, essentially demoted to third string before being placed on injured reserve, is likely to be released. He's due to make $20 million, including $10 million guaranteed, next season.
The decision goes beyond money; Fields wasn't a good fit. Maybe they can drum up some trade interest, but only if they agree to eat most of his guarantee. He will leave behind $22 million in dead cap, which can be spread over two years.
In-house free agents. Six starters are poised to hit free agency -- Breece Hall, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Quincy Williams, John Simpson, Andre Cisco and Tony Adams, plus kicker Nick Folk and returner Kene Nwangwu. The Jets have 23 pending free agents. Hall and Vera-Tucker are the priorities. Folk, 41, is mulling his future.
Glenn envisions Hall as a building-block player, but is the feeling mutual? It's no secret that Hall is frustrated by the losing and might want out.
Potential extensions. Joe Tippmann, known for his versatility and durability, is eligible for the first time and the most obvious candidate. Will McDonald IV, too, is eligible, but his production is down from 2024. The first decision with him is determining whether to exercise his fifth-year option for 2027, projected at $15 million.
Jermaine Johnson is entering the final year of his rookie deal ($13.4 million guaranteed), but his production is way down, so an extension seems unlikely.
2. Loaded: The Jets will go into the offseason with plenty of draft capital -- eight picks.
They have two in the first round, two in the second, one in the fourth, one in the sixth and two in the seventh. They're also projected to have two compensatory picks, both in the fifth round, according to Over The Cap.
The league hasn't set the 2026 salary cap yet, but the Jets figure to have at least $70 million in cap room. In other words, Mougey and Glenn will have the resources to plug a lot of holes.
3. Picks are almost in: The outcome of the season finale, Sunday at the Buffalo Bills, will have a big impact on draft position.
Currently, the Jets own the third and 18th picks (Indianapolis Colts) in Round 1. The lower the picks go, the higher the cost to trade up.
Their second pick in the first round, acquired in the Sauce Gardner trade, could jump to 15th but won't go any lower than its current position (18th).
4. Lost in the Sauce: Tough year for the former Jets star. He went 1-7 with the Jets, and he's 1-6 since being traded to the Colts.
5. Rookie check: Four of the Jets' seven draft picks in 2025 will finish the season injured -- not ideal -- but the team is still high on the rookie class. The Jets believe four could be in their 2026 opening day lineup -- Armand Membou, Mason Taylor, Azareye'h Thomas (shoulder surgery) and Malachi Moore, who has improved in recent weeks.
Membou has been good all season, but his "tenacity" and "attitude" have surfaced lately, according to Engstrand.
6. Receiving woes: If someone told you in training camp that Garrett Wilson would lead the team in receiving yards, you might have replied, "Thanks, Captain Obvious."
If that same person said he'd do it without catching a pass after Oct. 12, you'd probably say something like, "No way."
Wilson, sidelined because of a knee injury since midseason, leads the team with 395 yards. Taylor is stuck on 369, as he hasn't played in a month because of a neck injury. Hall, at 350 yards, would have had a chance, but he has been ruled out for Sunday's finale.
The Jets have never had a receiving leader with fewer than 400 yards in a 16- or 17-game season.
7. Passing woes: Speaking of mind-boggling trends, here's one that hasn't garnered publicity. The Jets have only 742 passing yards in the first half of games, the league's lowest total since the Broncos (820) in 2011. Denver's quarterback that year?
The Jets are the only team since at least 2000 to be under 800 yards.
8. Say it ain't Joe: If Caleb Williams throws for 270 yards in the Bears' finale, he will become the first quarterback in franchise history to reach 4,000 yards in a season. The Jets would then own the longest 4,000-yard drought, dating to 1967 -- the year Joe Namath became the first player in league history to reach the milestone.
9. The drought of all droughts: The Jets could become the first team in NFL history to have zero interceptions in a season. They started keeping interception stats in 1933.
"Bizarre," Harris called the slump.
10. Farewell: It's probably fitting that the Jets are the Bills' opponent in the final regular-season game at Highmark Stadium. The Jets and Bills opened the stadium (when it was Rich Stadium) on Sept. 30, 1973.
One of the great moments in Jets history occurred at the stadium -- Dec. 19, 1998, when they clinched the AFC East for the first time in 29 years. Then-coach Bill Parcells was so overcome with emotion that he choked up during his postgame speech to the team and had to pause for several seconds.
