Jets Predicted to Replace Justin Fields With Young Quarterback in 2026
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but the New York Jets have a quarterback problem.
It’s been nearly 20 years since the Jets have had the same signal caller under center for more than five seasons, with Chad Pennington being the most recent, having played for the team from 2002 to 2007.
They’ve had multiple swings at the position, drafting Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith, Christian Hackenberg, Sam Darnold, and Zach Wilson with premier picks, just for all to flame out.
New York has even tried the veteran route, bringing in Ryan Fitzpatrick, Aaron Rodgers, and Justin Fields.
Nothing has worked for the Green & White.
But just because you’ve missed on your recent attempts, it doesn’t mean you stop shooting, and it could be time for the Jets to take another swing at drafting a quarterback in 2026.
Mock Draft Has Jets Selecting Alabama’s Ty Simpson
In a recent mock draft from Athlon Sports’ Luke Easterling, the New York Jets were projected to select Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the fifth overall pick.
In what would be their most recent swing at drafting a franchise signal caller, they would go back to the Crimson Tide quarterback well that got them the team’s most famous quarterback, Joe Namath, back in 1965.
“There are big needs to fill on defense after trading away both Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, but nothing matters if you don’t have a franchise quarterback,” wrote Easterling.
“Simpson struggled a bit this past weekend against Oklahoma, but he’s still displayed high-level traits throughout the season that will get NFL scouts excited about his potential. He would give the Jets a long-term upgrade at the game’s most important position.”
Simpson, only a one-year starter for Alabama, has shot up draft boards since starting his season with the Crimson Tide.
In 10 games, Simpson has completed 66.9% of his passes for 2787 yards, tossing 22 touchdowns to only two interceptions in the process.
He’s helped guide Alabama to the fourth-ranked team in college football and has displayed some tantalizing traits that NFL scouts would seemingly fall in love with.
Do the Jets Need to Draft a Quarterback in 2026?
While almost every NFL mock draft you’ll read over the next few months will have the New York Jets drafting a quarterback with their first-round pick in 2026, they don’t necessarily need to.
After their trade deadline fire sale, New York netted three first-round picks over the next two years, and shouldn’t feel pressured to take a quarterback just because they don’t have one.
If they don’t fall in love with Simpson, or miss out on other prospects such as Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza or Oregon’s Dante Moore, they could always go the veteran quarterback route again in 2026 and wait until 2027 to get their guy.
After all, with all the draft capital they’ve acquired, they can move up the board if they really want to.
The Fields experiment has certainly left a sour taste in Jets fans’ mouths, but there could be some bridge quarterback options available this spring that weren’t available last year.
Mac Jones, Kirk Cousins, and Geno Smith are names that have been floated, and could all excel behind the Jets’ well-constructed offensive line.
Texans’ Fatal Flaw Could Be Seahawks’ Golden Ticket on MNF
One of the most intriguing games on the Week 7 NFL slate will come as the final matchup of the week, as the Houston Texans make the trip up to the Pacific Northwest to take on the Seattle Seahawks in a late-night Monday Night Football battle.
The game comes as the second leg of a Monday doubleheader that starts with the Buccaneers and the Lions, so NFL fans will be treated to a pair of games between playoff-caliber squads in prime time to finish the week.
The Texans had an extra week to prepare for this game and are coming off of a bye. DeMeco Ryans and company will be looking to keep the momentum going from a two-game winning streak going into the bye as they try to erase the damage of an 0-3 start.
On the other side, the Seahawks are also playing some very good football and currently sit at 4-2, right in the thick of the NFC playoff race as the picture starts to take shape in the middle of the season. Seattle is coming off of a dominant 20-12 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars where its defense dominated and now will head back home looking to get to 5-2.
Despite the recent winning streak, this Texans team is far from completely buttoned-up. There is still one area where they can be exposed, and the Seahawks are well-equipped to exploit it.
Texans’ offensive line is still a big weakness
Even as Houston has started to play some better football in recent weeks, this offensive line is still full of holes and can be the downfall of an offense that has been very inconsistent to far in 2025.
Everything starts with the running game, and the Texans currently rank 28th in the league in rushing success rate. While it isn’t quite as bad as it was in 2024 when the Texans had arguably the most lifeless running game in football, there are still far too many situations when CJ Stroud is being asked to bail Houston out in obvious passing situations.
The pass protection has also improved by the numbers, upgrading to a middle-of-the-pack group after a terrible season in that department last year. However, when it gets bad, it can get really bad.
In obvious passing situations when defenses can get more exotic and throw some different pressure looks at them, Houston still has lapses in communication and execution that allow free runners into the backfield. At times, when this happens early in games, Stroud can get happy feet in the pocket and it affects his timing and accuracy.
Seahawks’ defensive front has depth and talent to exploit Texans
If you’re an offensive line that is struggling and has holes, the Seahawks are one of the last teams you want to see. Seattle has a number of talented players up front, and it can rotate through multiple players at each position to keep everyone fresh.
Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II form one of the best defensive line duos in the league. Murphy leads the team with 4.5 sacks and has been one of the most disruptive interior players in the league through six weeks.
Outside of Murphy and Williams, the Seahawks have DeMarcus Lawrence, Uchenna Nwosu, Derick Hall and Boye Mafe coming off of the edge. All four are capable of making an impact and have been a big part of one of the best units in football.
The team numbers tell the story of just how hard it is to do damage against this Seattle front, whether it be on the ground or in pass protection.
On the ground, this Seattle defense has been one of the toughest groups to run on all season long. The Seahawks have the second-best EPA per run allowed in the league, as opposing runs generate negative-0.20 EPA per play this season. That number trails only the Cleveland Browns through six weeks. They have only given up five runs of 10 or more yards in six games, the lowest number in the league.
As a result, the Texans should have trouble gaining much ground in that department. However, there isn’t much relief coming in the passing game for this Houston offensive line.
Seattle has the No. 3 pressure rate in the NFL this season and are one of just five teams above the 40% mark in that department. They are doing that while blitzing less than 16% of the time, the lowest number in the NFL according to Next Gen Stats.
This Seattle defensive front should be able to get after Stroud all day when the Texans are forced to be behind the sticks. While the Seahawks offense might have some trouble moving the ball against an elite Texans defense, this defensive line can affect the field position game and make some impact plays to help get Seattle over the hump.
