New York Jets

Will McDonald IV

DE

McDonald missed the final two games of the 2025 campaign due to a knee issue, ending the year with 30 tackles (19 solo), including 8.0 sacks, across 15 regular-season appearances. If the fifth-year option on his rookie deal indeed is picked up by New York, McDonald will remain under contract with the Jets through the 2027 season.

Geno Smith

QB

Smith was traded from Las Vegas to New York on March 10, when Justin Fields (knee) still was on the roster following an injury-shortened season as the Jets' starting quarterback. Fields then was dealt to the Chiefs on March 16, leaving Smith as easily the most experienced QB on the Jets' roster ahead of Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook. Glenn also said in his interview about Smith, "It means to have a bona fide starter come in and lead this offense to where it needs to go." During his lone season with the Raiders, Smith completed 67 percent of his passes for 3,025 yards and a 19:17 TD:INT. That was the third-worst TD:INT of the 35-year-old's career, behind only his first two seasons when he previously started for the Jets in 2013 and 2014. Smith was a journeyman backup before finally getting another chance to be the starting quarterback for the Seahawks from 2022 to 2024. He totaled 71 touchdowns to 35 interceptions as the starter in Seattle, and he completed at least 65 percent of his passes in each season as the QB1.

Jowon Briggs

DT

The Jets placed an exclusive rights tender on Briggs in early March, and the 2024 seventh-rounder will play on a league-minimum contract for the upcoming season. He saw his defensive snap count increase over the course of the 2025 regular season. Briggs played at least 65 percent of the Jets' defensive snaps in each of the final seven games of the regular season, and over that span he accumulated 25 tackles (11 solo), including 2.0 sacks. He'll likely work in a rotational role on the defensive line in 2026 behind T'Vondre Sweat and Harrison Phillips.

Kene Nwangwu

RB

Nwangwu had a small role in New York's offense as a depth RB last year, recording 49 yards on 13 carries in 12 games. However, he was a key player on special teams, logging 604 yards and one touchdown on 18 kickoff returns. Nwangwu has recorded five TDs as a kick returner through his first five campaigns in the league, and that should again be his primary role in 2026.

Mason Taylor

TE

Taylor missed the final four games of last season due to a neck injury, but there have been no indications that he will be hampered in OTAs. Across 13 regular-season appearances during his rookie campaign, Taylor secured 44 of 65 targets for 369 yards and one touchdown, solid totals considering the struggles of New York's aerial attack, which averaged a league-worst 140.3 passing yards per game. The arrival of Geno Smith should provide stability on that front, and Taylor is currently positioned as one of the new QB's top targets along with Breece Hall (knee), Garrett Wilson (knee) and Adonai Mitchell.