The good news for Jaguars fans is that they didn’t have to watch their team lose this past weekend. Jacksonville was on a bye. And, in turn, the Jags have retained the best chance of landing the No. 1 spot in the 2025 NFL Draft.
They’re not the only dumpster fire that’s ablaze, though. The New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders — both without a starting quarterback — remain at two wins. It feels like any one of these teams could move into the pole position for the draft by season’s end. But we can’t count out the three-win teams, like the New York Jets, who we’re set to discuss below.
Here’s what the top 10 in the draft order looks like through Week 12:
- Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9)
- New York Giants (2-9)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-9)
- New England Patriots (3-9)
- Carolina Panthers (3-8)
- Tennessee Titans (3-8)
- New York Jets (3-8)
- Cleveland Browns (3-8)
- New Orleans Saints (4-7)
- Cincinnati Bengals (4-7)
As we track the race for the No. 1 pick, we’re spotlighting a different team each week until the order is set. Last week it was the Dallas Cowboys, whose win over the Commanders on Sunday took them out of the top 10 draft order for now.
[2025 NFL Draft order: What should Cowboys do if they land the No. 1 pick?]
It seems like any time is a good time for the Jets to start thinking about the future. They have been wholly invested in Aaron Rodgers for much of the past two years, but that doesn’t feel like it’ll be for much longer. New York has fired its coach (Robert Saleh) and general manager (Joe Douglas). Will the next regime want to run it back with Rodgers after this year’s team has been such a mess?
Here’s what FOX Sports NFL writers Henry McKenna and Ben Arthur believe the Jets should do if they get the No. 1 pick.
McKenna: I like Miami QB Cam Ward for the Jets. It looks like it’ll come down to a race between Ward and Colorado‘s Shedeur Sanders for the 2025 draft’s QB1. But with Sanders, the Jets would be committed to a similar situation to that of Rodgers. When Sanders shows up, it’s the Sanders show. And that could mean the arrival of coach Deion Sanders. Whether they’re a package deal or not, Deion is going to be a headache for whichever franchise picks Shedeur. The Jets would be wise to avoid quarterbacks with baggage — if just for a little while.
Ward isn’t without his problems, however. He might remind fans of Zach Wilson coming out of BYU in 2021, in part because Miami’s schedule doesn’t include any formidable opponents. That has played into Ward’s video-game statistics: 343 passing yards per game with 34 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Ward is about 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds. And given his tremendous arm strength and off-platform throwing abilities, I bet he’ll draw comparisons to Caleb Williams because of their similar size and profile. Williams was a better prospect, but his rookie struggles with the Bears could foreshadow potential pitfalls for Ward.
It comes down to arm arrogance. Once in the NFL, elite throwers need more than arm strength to complete a pass. And that’s where the biggest questions remain in Ward’s game. How much can he improve his footwork, timing and throwing motion? How willing is he to learn game management?
Let’s pair Ward with a coach like Lions OC Ben Johnson or Ravens OC Todd Monken in New York. Let’s finally turn the Jets around.
Arthur: I’ll have to stick with Henry’s thought process. The Jets absolutely need to go quarterback, and with the No. 1 pick, it should be Ward or Sanders. The latter is my pick, though.
I think something to keep in mind would be Sanders’ desire to even want to be with the Jets in the first place. Deion Sanders has said that he’ll “privately” step in if the wrong team wants to draft his son. We shouldn’t discount the ability of powerful football families to do this (see the Mannings, who were able to get Eli with the Giants instead of the Chargers in 2004). And let’s be honest, the Jets are a strong contender for the “wrong” team.
The opportunity that the New York market would present for the younger Sanders aside, the Jets have been engulfed in dysfunction for decades, failing early-round quarterbacks in the process. For example, Sam Darnold and Geno Smith were labeled busts by the franchise, only to find success later in their careers with other teams. The Sanders family would be justified in doubting the Jets’ ability to cultivate a quarterback-friendly environment.
New York would have every reason to pursue the younger Sanders, who has completed 73.4% of his passes for 3,488 yards and 30 touchdowns against just seven interceptions for Colorado this season. His excellent field vision and pinpoint accuracy could make for an excellent pairing with Garrett Wilson. The Jets also have a promising backfield (Breece Hall, Braelon Allen) that could take pressure off him with the right scheme. Sanders’ mobility is a concern, so the offensive line would need to be airtight. As for Deion’s potential involvement, I don’t think the family situation would be as much of a headache as it’s been made out to be.
In my view, the Jets can’t go wrong with Shedeur Sanders.
Prior to joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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