New York Jets free agency recap

March 19, 2026, 7:45 a.m. ET

The new 2026 league year is officially underway in the NFL, and the New York Jets wasted no time making moves to upgrade their roster. 

Armed with plenty of salary cap space, general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn went to work finding their answer at quarterback as well as fixing a defense that finished last year with no interceptions. 

While on paper, there is plenty to be excited about, we’ll know more about this team once the 2026 season begins in September.

Here are a few observations after a very busy week for the New York Jets:

A Full Circle Moment

Leading up to free agency, there were so many rumors as to who the quarterback for the Jets this season would be, it was tough to keep up.  From Jacoby Brissett to Kyler Murray to Carson Wentz, there were plenty of names being mentioned and some were more welcoming than others.

Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.

With reports that Murray was headed to the Minnesota Vikings and Tua Tagovailoa almost immediately signing with the Atlanta Falcons after being released, the options were dwindling fast.  Rather than wait for their answer at quarterback to be released and losing him to another team, the Jets chose to be proactive and acquired old friend Geno Smith from the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2026 pick swap between sixth and seventh round selections. 

Smith returns to the team that selected him with their second-round pick in the 2013 draft, well-traveled and more mature.  Despite a rough 2025 season with the Raiders where he threw 17 interceptions, Geno still completed over 60% of his passes and threw for over 3,000 yards. 

He makes his return to Florham Park with plenty of playmakers in the Jets offense under new offensive coordinator Frank Reich.  Garrett Wilson will be fully healthy after missing nine games last year and Breece Hall should be back as well with both sides working on an extension.  Tight end Mason Taylor will be looking to build off a promising rookie season and Adonai Mitchell will play a bigger role in the offense after being acquired in the Sauce Gardner trade during November’s deadline.

Smith is walking into a good situation on the offensive side of the football.  His last two years have been a little disappointing, but he’s still a better quarterback than what the Jets had last season and the perfect bridge quarterback to whoever the team chooses to lead them in the future.

Defense, Defense, Defense!

Mougey and Glenn’s strategy out of the gate was to fix a defense that ranked second to last in sacks last season as well as a secondary that didn’t force one interception against an opposing quarterback. 

The secondary was immediately addressed when the Jets acquired Minkah Fitzpatrick from the Miami Dolphins and signed him to a three-year extension worth $40 million.  Fitzpatrick has familiarity playing for new defensive coordinator Brian Duker and while his numbers dropped a little from previous years, he’s only 29 and brings plenty of leadership to this unit. 

The Jets weren’t done, adding former Giants safety Dane Belton as well as former Bears Cornerback Nahshon Wright.  Belton is a sure tackler with 65 last year and will compete with Malachi Moore to start opposite Fitzpatrick.  Wright has a nose for the football with eight takeaways, including five interceptions last season for Chicago. 

As for the front seven, Glenn brought in veterans he’s familiar with from his time in New Orleans as well as a few younger players who could have breakout seasons.  Demario Davis returns to the Jets for his third stint with the team after signing a two-year contract.  He’s 37 years old, but he’s been a consistently good player for his entire career and the leadership he brings will be vital to the defense. He’ll also serve as an excellent mentor to Jamien Sherwood, who struggled last year after signing a three-year extension to stay in New York. 

The Jets also added David Onyemata who is exceptional against the run, an area where the Jets struggled all last season.  Onyemata was with the Atlanta Falcons last year where he finished with 42 tackles, 21 pressures and a PFF grade of 78.2, eighth among all interior defenders. 

Rounding out the defensive additions are Joseph Ossai, who had five sacks and two forced fumbles last year for the Cincinnati Bengals and former Green Bay Packer Kingsley Enagbare, who is a solid run defender who had three sacks last season. 

A Few Returns and A Few Losses

One of the bigger questions surrounding the Jets offensive line was whether they planned to keep John Simpson or Alijah Vera-Tucker.  Panic started to set in after not only did Simpson return to the Baltimore Ravens on a three-year contract, but Vera-Tucker decided to join the New England Patriots on a three-year deal for up to $48 million.  There were reports that Vera-Tucker didn’t want to return and even if he did, Mougey was never going to match the contract he received from New England.

The Jets didn’t waste too much time replacing either lineman after signing former Raider Dylan Parham to a two-year contract.  Parham actually graded out better last year than Simpson according to PFF and was only penalized five times last season.  He immediately slides into Simpson’s left guard spot with Joe Tippmann most likely remaining at right guard.

In a bit of a surprise (and perhaps not a good one), kicker Nick Folk left the Jets to sign with Atlanta on a two-year contract.  Folk was automatic last season, missing only one field goal and making all his extra points.  Former Cleveland kicker Cade York was signed to replace Folk and while his numbers aren’t very impressive, he’ll work with Chris Banjo, who did an excellent job with the special teams last season. 

Where Do The Jets Go From Here?

The Jets had a strategy on how to attack free agency and they executed it very well.  They added key veteran players familiar with Aaron Glenn and used their day three draft capital to find their starting quarterback and improve the secondary.  They still have plenty of cap space with roughly $37 million left to spend and should see that number go up once they release Justin Fields.

The big wave of free agency is over and while there is still some talent available, they’ll probably wait until the NFL Draft to continue building the roster.  They could use another veteran wide receiver and San Francisco’s Jauan Jennings and Houston’s Christian Kirk are still available.  But Mougey is not going to overspend at this point of free agency and will wait for the price to come down before adding another player.

It was an impressive first week of free agency for the Jets as the roster looks vastly improved on paper compared to last season.  Only time will tell if the Jets will be a better team on Gameday.