Jets warned against risky QB pick as insider backs WR-first strategy
An insider urges the New York Jets to avoid a risky quarterback pick and focus on a wide receiver as long-term questions linger.
Jets warned against risky QB pick as insider backs WR-first strategy originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The New York Jets appear to have stabilized their quarterback room for the short term, but their long-term direction remains uncertain.
Geno Smith provides the team with a dependable option for 2026, yet his age and contract timeline raise questions about what comes next. Behind him, Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe have not shown enough to be viewed as future starters, keeping the franchise in familiar territory at the position. With the No.
2 overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, New York is not ideally positioned to secure the top quarterback prospect, widely viewed as Fernando Mendoza. That reality has fueled debate around whether the Jets should pursue Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson later in the draft. ESPN’s Rich Cimini has strongly pushed back on that idea, citing historical trends.
“Since 2011, six of the seven first-round quarterbacks with fewer than 17 college starts didn't pan out in the NFL: Jake Locker (12), Christian Ponder (12), Anthony Richardson Sr. (13), Mitchell Trubisky (13), Blaine Gabbert (13) and Dwayne Haskins (14). The lone exception was Cam Newton (14), the 2015 NFL MVP.