No team owns a longer playoff drought than the New York Jets, who have not reached the postseason since 2010, and that stretch can be explained by poor roster building, especially the ongoing struggle to find a franchise quarterback.
After yet another failed experiment, the Jets are expected to select their quarterback of the future in the 2026 draft, aiming once again to reclaim relevance in the conference while their division rivals establish themselves as contenders.
Jets Predicted To Select Quarterback Fernando Mendoza in 2026 NFL Draft
The Jets now have one of the most dysfunctional situations in the NFL, and that became clear across the league this season at the trade deadline, when the team moved its two best defenders, Sauce Garner and Quinnen Williams, fully embracing a rebuild and the roster overhaul the franchise will enter in 2026.
With those trades, the Jets stacked multiple draft picks for the coming years, now holding two first-round selections in 2026 and three in 2027, giving the team plenty of options for the seasons ahead. That starts in 2026, and Ayden Stroupe’s projection in his three-round mock draft is that Fernando Mendoza will be the team’s next big swing.
“The Jets capitalize on a favorable draft board and secure their quarterback of the future. Fernando Mendoza’s poise, accuracy, and feel for timing-based concepts fit perfectly with New York’s offensive personnel. He consistently delivers with anticipation and works through reads calmly, traits that often translate quickly to the next level,” Stroupe wrote.
To lock in that selection, the Jets would move up to the first overall pick, sending to the New York Giants the 7th pick, the 38th pick, and the 2027 first-rounder acquired from the Indianapolis Colts, factoring in the projections for the final weeks of the season.
“The Jets have spent years searching for stability at the position, and with a young core already in place, Mendoza gives them a high-floor leader to build around. The price to move up is steep, but it positions New York with long-term answers,” Stroupe added.
Justin Fields is listed as the 30th quarterback in PFSN’s QB Impact metric, and in nine games, he did not do enough to keep the starting job. He ended up losing it to Tyrod Taylor, who, between injuries, gave way to Brady Cook last week against the Miami Dolphins. The dysfunction surrounding the roster wiped out any chance the franchise had to compete in 2025.
The Fields project turned into a major failure, and the 30 million dollars guaranteed by the team gave the quarterback proved to be a poorly allocated investment. At the same time, it is money that allows the franchise to embrace the rebuild and give Aaron Glenn a new quarterback to develop.
Mendoza stood out for Indiana during the 2025 college football season, guiding the program to the top ranking in the country and positioning it as a title favorite. With 73 total touchdowns across his three college seasons, he enters the next draft as one of the top prospects and a potential NFL star.
