FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — A look at what’s happening around the New York Jets:
1. A touch of gray: Looking at the Jets from a distance, someone might wonder, “What the heck are they doing?”
They’re supposed to be a rebuilding team, coming off a three-win season, but their offseason haul includes four players on the back side of their careers: linebacker Demario Davis (37), quarterback Geno Smith (35), defensive tackle David Onyemata (33) and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (29).
It’s worth noting that none of the free agent signings last year were in the 30-and-up category. So are general manager Darren Mougey and coach Aaron Glenn, both entering Year 2, trying to accelerate the process with short-term fixes?
Yes and no. The approach actually makes sense.
These contracts won’t compromise much salary cap space in 2027, so the long-term plan remains in effect. At the same time, this was a concerted effort to improve the current culture by acquiring accomplished veterans with leadership and toughness.
No team official will say it publicly, but the internal feeling was that the locker room lacked leaders in 2025. Defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, who emerged as a leader, said recently that Glenn “inherited a very cancerous, truculent group.”
And so they’re in the midst of a swift and significant personality overhaul, with Glenn surrounding himself with players from his past that he knows and trusts (Davis and Onyemata) and others he believes to be high-character individuals.
Once upon a time, Glenn was one of those players for Bill Parcells. A Parcells Guy. It took a year, but now there will be some Glenn Guys.
“I think when you bring in guys like that into a football program, I think there’s a level of calm and a level of discipline and not being scared of the unknown,” Fitzpatrick said. “That’s extremely important because when things go bad, people want to press the red button and completely change how to do things.”
Mougey & Co. are trying to balance present versus future. Not every addition is on the wrong side of 30. For instance: The biggest payout went to defensive end Joseph Ossai ($22.5 million guaranteed), who is 25. The $15 million guarantee for Davis seems excessive, considering his age, but it underscores how much the Jets are willing to pay for leadership and toughness.
For this to work, the Jets must maximize their massive amount of draft capital in 2026 and 2027 — eight picks in the first and second rounds, including four of the top 44 picks this year.
From Day 1, Mougey has said he wants to build through the draft, and he hasn’t deviated from that. But if this year’s top picks aren’t good enough to contribute in 2026, the Jets will be relying on too many older players, particularly on defense. And that would spell trouble. If they hit on the picks, blending young and old, it could be something special.
2. Extreme makeover: The personnel flip on defense over the past week has been nothing short of stunning. The Jets have added eight players — five in the front seven, three in the secondary.
“The reinforcements,” Davis said.
Now, five starters remain — after safety Andre Cisco agreed to return Friday — from the 2025 Week 1 lineup: Phillips, edge Will McDonald IV, linebacker Jamien Sherwood and cornerback Brandon Stephens.
A theme to the overhaul? Size and toughness.
The new front-seven players were above average last season in key run-stopping metrics. This wasn’t an accident. In 2025, the Jets ranked near the bottom of the league in many categories on defense, including 29th in rushing yards allowed.
3. Let’s make a deal: Mougey already has completed three player trades this offseason, bringing his total to 11 since last year. The only team with more player trades over that span is the Philadelphia Eagles (12). They’re run by a seasoned GM, Howie Roseman. Mougey has been on the job for a little over a year, showing he’s not shy about diving into the fray.
4. Rare reunion: When a team gives up on a highly drafted quarterback, it almost always means the relationship is permanently kaput — which makes Smith’s return truly rare.
If Smith starts for the Jets, it will be the longest gap between starts with the team that drafted him by a quarterback selected in the first and second round, per Elias Sports. The current gap belongs to Boomer Esiason, who went five years between starts with the Cincinnati Bengals (1992-1997).
Smith was a 2013 second-round pick who last started for the Jets in 2016.
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5. Pete Carroll on Geno: Despite his ups and downs, Smith has remained remarkably consistent in one area: accuracy.
His 68.2% completion rate over the past four seasons is fourth among qualified passers. He’s a 65.2% career passer, which would rank second on the Jets’ all-time list. Chad Pennington leads at 65.6%.
Pete Carroll, who coached Smith with the Las Vegas Raiders and Seattle Seahawks, cited sound fundamentals as the reason for his former quarterback’s accuracy.
“He has tremendous skill for the position,” Carroll told ESPN. “He has really good discipline about the fundamentals of it — his footwork, protecting the football, his command, his communication skills, his conceptual understanding. Everything is really at a peak. He throws the hell out of the football. He has great natural skills that he knows how to use. His accuracy depicts that.”
But Smith is prone to negative plays, something new offensive coordinator Frank Reich will have to address. Smith has more interceptions (52) and more sacks (182) than any quarterback in the league over the last four years, which includes his two best seasons in Seattle.
6. Still shopping: The Jets hit most of their obvious needs in the first wave of free agency, but they’re still looking for a wide receiver (low cost) and a veteran backup quarterback.
For now, their top three receivers are Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell and Isaiah Williams. They need a veteran and a rookie.
They have four quarterbacks under contract (Smith, Justin Fields, Brady Cook, Bailey Zappe), but Fields’ status is very much up in the air. Tyrod Taylor remains a free agent. Carson Wentz is still out there, though there’s a chance he could return to the Minnesota Vikings as the QB3.
7. Head-scratcher: A lot of fans are wondering how the Jets could let Nick Folk, the league’s most accurate kicker last season, walk away to the Atlanta Falcons. It’s a fair question. Here’s what happened, according to people familiar with the situation.
Folk wanted to remain in New York. The Jets, mindful of his age (41), offered a one-year contract. No word on the amount, but it probably was similar to what he made last season on a one-year deal ($3.25 million, including incentives). The Falcons offered two years, $9 million, about half of which is guaranteed. They also play indoors and in the comfy confines of the NFC South.
Who can blame Folk for accepting the Atlanta deal? The question is whether the Jets underestimated Folk’s staying power. It’ll be fascinating to see it unfold, because he has shown no signs of slippage. The Jets responded by signing the inconsistent Cade York. They also have Lenny Krieg, 23, a Germany native who kicked in the German Football League.
8. Homecoming: Davis has been an alpha leader throughout his career, which began in 2012 as a Jets’ draft pick. No doubt, he will be the new leader on defense, aiming to amplify Glenn’s message.
“He has the vision, he has the mission,” David said. “All we have to do is hold this thing steady, and we’re going to come out the other side, and I think it’s going to shock the world.”
9. Farewell to a legend: Former Jets O-lineman John Schmitt was hit hard by the passing of former teammate Matt Snell, the Super Bowl III hero who died Tuesday at 84. They last spoke about five months ago, when Schmitt visited Snell at an assisted-living facility on Long Island. They hadn’t seen each other in years, and they spent 90 minutes reminiscing.
“He was great. We talked about old times,” Schmitt told ESPN. “We came in together in 1964. We talked and talked and talked. It was a great day.”
Schmitt recalled being next to Snell in the post-Super Bowl locker room when Joe Namath approached. Snell had played the game of his life, rushing for 121 yards and a touchdown.
“I remember Joe’s exact words,” Schmitt said. “He told Matt, ‘They’re going to give me the MVP award, but the trophy belongs to you.'”
Schmitt got choked up as he finished the story.
10. The last word: “I knew what happened in New York, getting kicked around and all that s—. When we got him, we just linked up. It took five years of development until he started playing, and he started kicking ass.” — Carroll on his time in Seattle with Geno Smith.
