For the first time in the 2025 NFL season, the New York Jets won a game. Aaron Glenn and Justin Fields scraped by the Cincinnati Bengals in a thriller, winning 39-38.
While it’s a huge first win for the Jets, especially since it was the last week before their bye, it’s a win that has massive ramifications down the line. Sitting at 1-7, the Jets are no longer alone at the bottom of the NFL.
The New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans are also 1-7, creating a three-way tie at the bottom of the NFL. While the Jets are no longer winless, their Week 8 victory has major ramifications on the 2026 NFL Draft that could turn out horribly for the franchise.
How the Jets’ Week 8 comeback win could be horrible news for their 2026 NFL Draft slot
According to Tankathon.com, the Jets, following their Week 8 win and the losses of the Titans and Saints, are now picking second overall behind the Saints. With a clear need at quarterback, picking first overall would be a huge advantage. Instead, they’re in danger of having a franchise quarterback slip through their grasp once again.
If the Titans end up with the first overall pick, they likely won’t select a quarterback with Cam Ward being their first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. But that would open the door for the Titans to move down in the draft for a team to jump up for a quarterback.
While New Orleans took Tyler Shough in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, they could decide to go with a quarterback if Shough doesn’t prove enough this season. But, just like the Titans, they too could trade away the top pick for a haul if they want to stick with their quarterback.
Regardless of who’s picking first overall and where the Jets are picking, losing the first overall pick could have the Jets in danger of missing out on a franchise quarterback.
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Back in 2020, a similar scenario played out, as the Jets missed out on the first overall pick and the chance to take Trevor Lawrence thanks to a couple of meaningless wins late in the year.
While this Week 8 win over the Bengals might not matter to the majority of the league, it’s a massive win for New York. Glenn earning his first win is good for the vibes of the franchise, but it’s now putting the Jets in danger of missing the first overall pick.
There’s a chance that a franchise quarterback is expected to go number one overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, and the Jets aren’t selecting first overall. In that case, they’d either miss the chance for a franchise quarterback or would need to spend a lot of capital to move up to select such a player.
Either way, it’d be a far from ideal scenario for the Jets, largely thanks to their Week 8 win over the Bengals. Fields leading the Jets to this comeback win over the Bengals in Week 8 could wind up being the game that costs the Jets their future face of the franchise.
There’s still plenty of season left for the Jets to retake the first overall draft slot. But the Jets are now at risk of missing the top spot in the draft, and potentially, their franchise quarterback.
