It is August, the time to be optimistic, to envision the best-case scenarios for the NFL season ahead. On average, nearly half of every playoff field consists of teams that weren’t in the postseason the previous season. Last year, the Patriots jumped from last place to the Super Bowl.
But the Jets remain the exception, having gone 11 years since finishing with a winning record while owning the longest playoff drought in North American pro sports (2010). They enter this season with the third-lowest over/under win total (5.5) in the league.
But next year could look very different.
The Jets have long had their eye on 2027. It is why they traded for an aging bridge quarterback who led the league in interceptions last season (Geno Smith) and didn’t reach to take a quarterback with the No. 2 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, when only two quarterbacks were selected in the first two rounds.
