The New York Jets are not going to be very good this season. I will be one of the first to admit that, and if they win 10-11 games I will happily one of the first to admit how wrong I was. But just because I don’t believe the team is going to be very good, doesn’t mean I don’t think there are good players on the team. On the contrary, I believe this team has a few bona fide stars and a very top-heavy roster. But apparently, CBS does not share my views.

Pete Prisco, an NFL writer for CBSSports put out a list of the “Top 100 players of 2025”. This is a pretty common offseason practice as it provides plenty of fodder for fanbases. While I don’t think the New York Jets are one of the most talented teams, especially in certain areas of the roster, good ol’ Pete has a grand total of one New York Jet in his top 100.

Sauce Gardner is the only New York Jet to make the cut, coming in 12 spots lower than he was last year. Sauce is ranked 24^th on the list and the third cornerback listed behind Pat Surtain II at number nine and Derek Stingley at number 23. Pete writes:

Gardner's play fell off some in 2024, much like a lot of Jets, but it didn't fall that much. He needs to tackle better at times, but there is no doubt he is an outstanding cover corner.

While I would argue that Sauce is better than Stingley, I obviously saw the tackling issues last year and believe Sauce did have a “down year” by his incredibly high standards. Sauce is in the midst of a contract negotiation, and I imagine that Woody Johnson will try and use this as some sort of evidence that Sauce should be paid like the third best corner in the game, kind of like his Madden ratings.

But the issue I really have is with at least two other Jets being left off the list completely. Garrett Wilson is one of the best wide receivers in the game and far more talented than his numbers would even suggest. Wilson is a true WR1 in the league and one of the better ones to boot. The fact that Wilson is able to do what he does while catching passes from the likes of Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco, Tim Boyle, Trevor Siemian, Mike White, and yes, even 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers is nothing short of amazing. Even ESPN thinks Garrett Wilson is still on the ascension.

The other name that I was surprised was left off the list was defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. Williams didn’t jump off the page when it came to stat accumulation, but he is still one of the more feared interior defenders in the game. Much like Wilson, Quinnen is overshadowed because of a lack of team success and a lack of help for him to shine. Williams is constantly the receiver of double and triple teams because teams don’t have to worry about other players on the Jets interior causing any sort of havoc.

There is a stigma that comes from being part of a losing franchise like the Jets. Players rarely receive the recognition they truly deserve as individuals because of the team’s failure. That being said, at some point, a national outlet needs to recognize the talent they are ranking and not just the better players on the better teams. Hopefully, Quinnen and Garrett (and maybe a few others) can use that as bulletin board material and have Mr. Prisco regretting his choices. 

Jets should be all over recently released Browns veteran edge rusher

The New York Jets of 2025 are not going to be like the teams of the last few year. That doesn’t mean they will be better or worse, it just means they will be different. While the recent iterations of the Jets have been focused on defense and big names, the 2025 team is all […]