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New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson reacting in the middle of an NFL game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Is this real life?
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell ranked the offensive playmakers on every team in the NFL ahead of the 2026 season. The New York Jets were placed at No. 12 on the list.
“There are two young stars here who have been stuck with overmatched QBs in awful offenses at the beginning of their careers. Garrett Wilson was limited to seven games by injuries last season, but we’ve seen enough from the 25-year-old in the past to hint at massive upside. The best quarterback Wilson has played with during his four-year career, by a comfortable margin, is late-era Joe Flacco. He’s on the Andre Johnson and Terry McLaurin track, hoping to find a passer worthy of his talents before it gets too late,” Barnwell wrote.
“Aaron Glenn’s pre-2025 commentary that Breece Hall was going to split out and run a full route tree was always absurd, but there’s little argument against Hall as one of the best backs in football working out of the backfield. Hall was able to right some of his fumble issues from 2024 and was more consistent as a runner in 2025 than he had been since the ACL tear. He’s a plus receiver out of the backfield and would be a legitimate top-six back in the right situation,” Barnwell added.
For context, in last year’s ranking, the Jets were No. 27 in the league. There are only 32 teams in the NFL.
What Happened?
“There’s also more in the cupboard around those guys than there has been in years past. First-round pick Omar Cooper Jr. might not offer the most exciting upside of any wideout in this draft, but the player out of Indiana should be able to take advantage of the attention directed at Wilson and run away from defensive backs after the catch. Adonai Mitchell showed some flashes after being acquired in midseason,” Barnwell said.
“While Mason Taylor struggled with drops and didn’t create many big plays as a rookie, the in-line tight end should be joined by a more athletic option in first-rounder Kenyon Sadiq this season. Imagine how excited you would be if this group played with Josh Allen in Buffalo, and you start to get an idea of why the Jets rank higher than expected here,” Barnwell wrote.
Speaking of Buffalo, the Jets are significantly above two of their AFC East brothers:
The only AFC East team that ranks higher is the New England Patriots, who landed at No. 10 in the rankings.
A Huge Jump
Last year, the Jets were ranked No. 27, and this year they’re ranked No. 12. That is a 15-spot jump. That is the second-largest jump of any team from one year to the next.
The only team that had a larger jump from obscurity to the elite is the Patriots. Last year, they were ranked No. 30 and got all the way up to No. 10, a 20-spot jump.
This isn’t a stunning placement, like, why are they up there? The Jets deserve to be high on this list when you look at their playmakers. However, Gang Green has stunk on offense in 14 of the last 15 years. When you suck for that long, you typically don’t get respect or the benefit of the doubt from the national pundits.
The Jets are an ideal landing spot for a veteran quarterback or a talented rookie in 2027. For now, veteran Geno Smith will be the beneficiary of these offensive toys in 2026.
Paul Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he co-hosts a morning show, “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.” Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY, and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.
