The New York Jets have seen a lot of change since the start of the 2024 regular season. Robert Saleh was fired after Week 5, and general manager Joe Douglas was let go in mid-November. Aaron Rodgers is set to be released after a failed two-year experiment, and the team is once again starting from scratch.
The Jets love to win the offseason, and splashy moves in free agency or the 2025 NFL Draft shouldn’t surprise anyone. New GM Darren Mougey is predicted to do just that in PFSN’s latest seven-round mock draft from Jacob Infante, moving up for a fast-rising quarterback.
New York Jets Move Up to Top of Second Round for Jaxson Dart
Rodgers was a complete bust as New York’s starting quarterback. 2023 ended after four snaps, and the 2024 return was nothing to brag about. The 20-year vet led the Jets to a 5-12 record while throwing for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. His performance wasn’t good enough for the new regime, and they’re comfortable eating $49 million in dead money for the 42-year-old to play elsewhere in 2025.
So, where do the Jets go now? A recent report from The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt has them adding a mid-priced veteran free agent and a rookie in the 2025 draft. He wrote, “The sense is that the Jets are going to target the middle-tier quarterback market and go into training camp with a competition between Tyrod Taylor, a veteran free agent, and (maybe) a rookie draft pick.
“Put it this way: The Jets signing a veteran won’t preclude them from also drafting a quarterback.” A three-way competition makes sense, as New York is in reset mode.
The Jets hold the seventh overall pick and will miss out on the top two quarterbacks in PFSN’s latest mock. They also hold the 42nd overall pick and used that in an aggressive trade to the top of the second round, giving the Cleveland Browns Nos. 42 and 109 and a 2026 fourth-rounder for No. 33.
With the 33rd overall pick, the Jets are predicted to take Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, who is coming off a strong showing in Indianapolis.
Infante said, “With Aaron Rodgers on the way out, the Jets could end up finding another veteran in a trade or free agency to take over as their starting quarterback. That said, don’t rule out them targeting a young quarterback as their heir apparent.
“The aptly named Jaxson Dart has a strong arm and ideal ball placement across the middle of the field. He’s also shown some dual-threat capabilities as a runner. He doesn’t seem like a quarterback ready to start right away, but he’s shown tools over his time at Ole Miss that could project him as a future starter at the NFL level.”
Dart had an impressive college career, improving in every significant stat each season. After spending his first year at Southern California, he transferred to Ole Miss and grew into an effective quarterback. In his final season, Dart threw for 4,279 yards, 29 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He also led FBS in yards gained per pass attempt (10.8).
The Ole Miss product has been the No. 3 QB prospect for most of the process and was projected as a mid-second-round pick going into the 2025 Scouting Combine. He had arguably the best performance of any quarterback, looking calm and collected while completing nearly all of his throws.
Dart could push into the back half of the first round with another strong performance at his pro day, which would necessitate an even bolder move by the Jets to secure their next quarterback.