Former New York Jets Pro Bowler shares a message that the entire fanbase needs to hear heading into the 2026 season and beyond
Former Jets Offensive Lineman Damien Woody took to X to share an important message after seeing some discouraging opinions from the fanbase heading into 2026.
Should the New York Jets be tanking in 2026? Former Jets offensive lineman Damien Woody doesn’t think so, and neither do I. The Jets three first-round picks in the 2027 NFL Draft, and projected cap space make this a franchise on the verge of something real. Tanking would throw all of that away.
Woody posted on X, making his stance crystal clear:
“I’ve been seeing tanking amongst some of the Jets fan base and it’s the dumbest thing I’ve seen. Establishing a winning culture, especially with a young roster, is far more important than the perpetual cycle this organization has been in.”
I fully agree with him. I think New York needs to be trying to win this year, whatever that looks like, whatever the final record may be. Obviously I don’t expect the Jets to be a playoff team. But if they can muster five to seven wins somehow, that’s what they need to be shooting for.
The 2027 picture is loaded
I know 2026 hasn’t happened yet, and that is the most important thing we have coming up. But look at what’s waiting for this organization next offseason.
The Jets have three first-round picks in the 2027 NFL Draft. They have one of their own, one from the Colts, and they have one from the Green Bay Packers. Three first-round players added to this roster in one spring. That’s a massive influx of talent, barring another set of trades.
On top of that, per Spotrac, New York is projected to have the 5th-highest cap space in the league heading into 2027. That is great for free agency. You can add some big-name pieces with that kind of money.
Between the draft capital and the cap flexibility, general manager Darren Mougey has put this franchise in a position it hasn’t been in for a long time. A position to truly rebuild New York into a Super Bowl contender.
The quarterback question still looms
It’s no secret the Jets’ biggest issue going forward is finding the long-term solution at quarterback. Right now, Geno Smith is serving as the band-aid. I think it will work for 2026, at least it hopefully should. The most likely outcome is that he will be a serviceable quarterback, but we know he is not the long-term answer.
The cycle New York has been in at the position has been brutal. Last year was Justin Fields. Two years ago was Aaron Rodgers, and before that, Zach Wilson. Heck, we’ve seen guys like Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian suit up for the Jets, which was awful to say the least.
Cade Klubnik is on the roster serving as the backup right now. Could he be that guy? Potentially. Could the Jets get somebody next year in the draft? Potentially. Quite frankly, I don’t care if it’s Klubnik or if it’s someone in the future who is a college football quarterback right now. The Jets just need to find somebody at that position.
What’s great about next year’s draft, if they choose to try to find that guy, is that they still have two more first-round picks to add talent around him. That’s a luxury nobody else in the league has. Especially teams that will need a quarterback.
Woody Johnson is the wild card
I know Jets fans understand that this organization tends to mess things up. They do it at a perpetually high level. But there is a real chance, with how Mougey has set this roster up, to be very successful in the next year or two.
The coaching staff is still unproven in my eyes. Aaron Glenn’s first campaign with the Jets was obviously nothing to write home about. For whatever reason though, I honestly think he could be the answer for the team. He at least seems to be building a culture.
The second biggest key here, and I know this is going to worry fans, is owner Woody Johnson. Can he give the Jets current regime of Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey the time they need to try to right this ship? He hasn’t really done it for certain guys in the past. I think he needs to do it for these two.
Aaron Glenn may not be the Jets long-term solution, but we all know that firing him in 2026 will do nothing for the franchise.
Look, I’m not telling you how you should think as a fan. All I’m saying is I see some reason for great optimism in the next year or two, given the cap space New York has going into 2027, the draft picks they have, and what they’ve built on this roster up to this point.
The Jets have some really good players at key positions. They just need to add more, and that’s okay, they aren’t the only team in that situation. If the Jets can put together another quality draft class heading into 2027, I believe that things will begin to really look up. That is, unless they remind us that they are the New York Jets.
