The Buffalo Bills don’t have to worry about their quarterback room when the 2026 NFL Draft rolls around, but that doesn’t mean news at the top of the draft board doesn’t impact them, too. After all, bad news at the top of the draft board is often good news for the Bills.
The New York Jets were the recipients of the bad news on Wednesday when Oregon quarterback Dante Moore announced he will be heading back to college to play for the Ducks in 2026. In his announcement, Moore said that he values being prepared for every situation that comes his way.
“When it comes to me just making my decision, of course, I want to feel most prepared, and you know, what’s best for my situation, especially as a quarterback,” Moore said before letting the football world, and the Jets, know he’s heading back to Oregon for next season.
Safe to say, looking ahead to being the Jets quarterback isn't something one can ever seem to be prepared enough for. Just ask their list of first and second round quarterbacks over the past two decades -- all five of them.
With Indiana’s Heisman Trophy winner, Fernando Mendoza, pegged as the likely first overall pick to the Las Vegas Raiders, and slim pickings behind him on the QB big board, the Jets are in a terrible spot, knowing they need a new quarterback. Meanwhile, Bills Mafia sits back and laughs as they watch the rival Jets scramble to find their next hope under center.
Bills Mafia laughs as Jets just lost out on the one quarterback they hoped could save their franchise
Once the dust settled on the regular season and the top of the draft order was set, more often than not, Moore was sent to New York in practically every mock draft you came across. It would have been an easy selection that the front office could write in ink the night before the draft.
But with Moore heading back to Eugene, the Jets will have a hard time convincing themselves that another quarterback is worthy of the No. 2 overall selection. Alabama’s Ty Simpson is the next quarterback up on most rankings, and from there, the other passers have Day 2 or worse grades.
Simpson is seen as a mid-first-rounder early in the process, and while his stock could certainly rise naturally, currently, it’d be seen as a massive reach to take him at No. 2 overall. He isn't listed on Mel Kiper's most recent Big Board, which featured 25 players, including Moore at No. 2.
It’s not as though the Jets can look to free agency for their answer ahead of the draft either. Daniel Jones is the most notable upcoming free agent, but he tore his Achilles tendon late in the season, and the Indianapolis Colts might bring him back anyway after the success they enjoyed early in the season while he was healthy.
After him, the only starter in 2025 who will be available is Aaron Rodgers, who obviously won’t hold off retirement to return to the Jets. Russell Wilson started for the Giants, but the Jets saw how that went in their own house, too.
Malik Willis and Trey Lance are two names to watch as former touted draft prospects who fell into backup roles and impressed enough to have a chance to compete for a team in a desperate enough situation. Beyond them, though, the Jets would need to strike a trade to find a quarterback they know they can trust to lead the team going forward.
The Jets' current quarterback room is made up of Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor, Brady Cook and Hendon Hooker. Taylor and Hooker are set to be free agents. Taylor isn’t a starter at this stage of his career, and Hooker not seeing the field late in the year despite Cook’s awful play is telling of his future with the organization. Fields has another year on his contract, but his abysmal performance as a passer might be enough for the team to cut its losses.
This one domino in the draft pool is going to make it very difficult for the Jets to find a competent quarterback for the 2026 season. Bills Mafia is used to the Jets having unreliable quarterback play, and it seems they can expect more of the same in 2026. That is, unless the New York front office can work some serious magic, it looks like the Jets will be right back in their same old spot in 2026 - at the bottom of the AFC East, looking for the quarterback who can save the franchise.