Bills Mafia can only laugh as Dan Orlovsky fuels Jets’ draft dilemma

Buffalo Bills fans are watching their rival, the New York Jets, at the top of the 2026 NFL Draft with good reason. The draft won’t officially start until they’re on the clock with the No. 2 overall selection, seeing as it’s a foregone conclusion what the Las Vegas Raiders will do with the top pick.

While Bills Mafia can’t wait to see how their AFC East rivals mess things up again, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky is making the argument that the entire fanbase can get behind. Recently, Orlovsky has been pounding the table in support of Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, arguing that it’s him, not Heisman Trophy winner and national champion Fernando Mendoza, who deserves to hold the honor as the class’s top quarterback prospect.

Of course, if that’s the case, then the Jets have plenty to consider this April, seeing as the franchise clearly still needs a long-term answer at quarterback after reuniting with Geno Smith– the very quarterback the Raiders are replacing. 

Buffalo Bills fans seeing Jets wrestle with Ty Simpson pick after Orlovsky’s comments

On Monday, Orlovsky made his case for Simpson over Mendoza, saying it was the former Crimson Tide passer who did more for his team in 2025.

"I think Ty Simpson is the best quarterback in this class. I think when you look at the body of work and what was asked of these two quarterbacks, you have to start with the question, who needed to do more to carry their football team to play well? Ty Simpson, and it's not close between those two quarterbacks. Who took more games over throughout the course of the season? Ty Simpson. It's not even close."

His ESPN colleague and former NFL general manager, including for the Jets, Mike Tannenbaum, said on X that he’d heard similar opinions from fellow executives around the league. Orlovsky doubled down on his take on Tuesday on The Pat McAfee Show, saying he’d texted the take to “12-15” general managers and decision-making head coaches and only had two return his message with a disagreement.

Obviously, that doesn’t mean that Jets general manager Darren Mougey is among those who believe Simpson is the top quarterback in the class. Nonetheless, if Orlovsky’s take holds such weight in the NFL, then it’s going to make his decision-making process at his most important position of need that much more difficult.

As The Jets Press’s Charlie Baduini points out, it’s not that the Jets aren’t at least keeping tabs on Simpson as a possible option that should concern Jets fans– it’s that Orlovsky’s take and the sentiment of agreement he’s received from executives around the NFL could swing Simpson’s value out of their favor.

“It's unlikely that a panel of ESPN analysts is going to sway the Las Vegas Raiders away from Mendoza and pivot to Simpson with the No. 1 overall pick, but it may be bad news for the Jets, who were likely hoping to see the Alabama quarterback drop to the second round,” Baduini wrote on Monday. “Taking Simpson at No. 16 may be a little rich for Darren Mougey's blood. The Jets have so many needs across the roster, and can't burn such a valuable draft pick who won't contribute on Day 1. If they take a shot at Simpson, it would likely be in the second round, at No. 33 or No. 44.”

The issue for New York that is music to Bills Mafia’s ears is that if Simpson’s stock skyrockets on the back of Orlovsky’s study, then the Jets will have to suck it up and take Simpson before they may have originally intended. If there’s a belief that Simpson is truly the top quarterback for nearly a third of the league, then the Jets might not even be afforded the chance to consider him at No. 16. If that sentiment really holds weight, then New York may have to begin considering Simpson at No. 2, which flys in the face of their best-laid plans through the early stages of the offseason.

With as many needs as New York has, spending prime capital on Simpson isn’t something the Jets want to entertain. Simpson would lack many of the necessary tools to be successful on Day 1, a reality that has befallen countless Jets quarterbacks before him.

Of course, Bills fans can’t count their chickens too soon for the Jets to be pushed to make such a drastic decision by selecting Simpson earlier than they intended. After all, Orlovsky’s push for Simpson is coming a month ahead of the draft, and while it could see public perception of Simpson shift in either direction, all it takes is for one team to believe in Simpson more than New York, and the Jets will have to settle for another passer in this weak quarterback class.

Either way, the Jets seem to be the biggest losers of Orlovsky’s take, regardless of the impact it has on Simpson’s stock, and as Badiuni suggested, it could prove to be Gang Green’s biggest nightmare of the entire NFL Draft.