As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers near the end of their offseason program and the 2025 season draws ever closer, we're taking a look at each team the Buccaneers are going to face along the way. From how those teams fared last year, to what they've done with the roster since, to some as-yet-unanswered questions – we want to get a better feel for what the Bucs will be up against this fall. Today's focus is on a Jets team that has largely overhauled its roster after bringing in a new general manager and head coach.
2024 Results
In their second season with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, the Jets got a full season from the superstar quarterback – he had torn an Achilles tendon just three snaps into the 2023 campaign – but actually sank farther down the standings, finishing at 5-12. That extended New York's NFL-long 14-year playoff drought, and the team parted ways with Rodgers after the season was finished and Aaron Glenn had taken over as head coach.
The Jets got off to a decent 2-1 start, following a Week One loss in San Francisco with wins over Tennessee and New England. However, of the team's five wins, only one would come against a team that finished with a winning record, a 21-13 home victory over the Houston Texans in Week Nine. That followed a five-game losing streak that included defeats to Denver, Minnesota, Buffalo and New England that were all decided by six points or less. The Jets later added one-score losses to Indianapolis, Seattle and Miami. The season ended with a 32-20 defeat of the Miami Dolphins in which Rodgers threw four touchdown passes.
Rodgers would finish the season with a strong 28-11 touchdown-interception ratio and a 90.5 passer rating but the Jets ranked 24th in net yards and 25th in scoring. After nearly hitting 1,000 yards in 2023, third-year running back Breece Hall failed to take another step forward and the Jets' rushing attack was the second-worst in the NFL. Rodgers was also sacked 40 times.
The Jets tried to shake things up after a 2-3 start by firing Head Coach Robert Saleh early in his fourth season at the helm. Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich took over as the interim head coach but the Jets lost the next three games and never got back into playoff contention. The excellent defense that Saleh had constructed in his first three seasons still finished third in the NFL and was particularly strong against the pass. Will McDonald led the way with 10.5 sacks but a secondary featuring star cornerback Sauce Gardner came up with just seven interceptions overall.
2025 Arrivals
Two days after releasing Rodgers, the Jets made a hard pivot to a very different kind of quarterback, inking Justin Fields to a two-year, $40 million deal. Thanks to a preseason injury to Russell Wilson, Fields started the season under center for the Steelers in 2024 and had a 4-2 record in six starts but Pittsburgh went back to Wilson as soon as he was healthy. In his six starts, Fields produced five touchdowns against one interception but just 110.6 passing yards per game. He did add about 30 rushing yards per game and in his career has averaged over 50 yards per outing on the ground.
The Jets continued rebuilding their offensive line in the draft, using a top-11 pick on a tackle for the second year in a row. With 2023 first-rounder Olu Fashanu set at left tackle, Missouri's Armand Membou, the seventh-overall selection, will step in at right tackle. The Jets also added former Packers center Josh Myers, though he may just provide depth with 2023 second-rounder Joe Tippman starting at the pivot.
The Jets have a clear number-one receiver in Garrett Wilson and they didn't land another proven star in the offseason but did flesh out the position with Josh Reynolds andTyler Johnson in free agency, both on modest one-year deals, and Arian Smith in the fourth round of the draft. Smith proved to be a deep threat with top-notch speed at Georgia and he could challenge Reynolds for playing time.
The Jets may have added a number-two pass-catcher in a different way, using the 42nd-overall pick on LSU tight end Mason Taylor. The son of Hall of Fame edge rusher Jason Taylor, Mason is likely to start right away and add another dimension to the passing attack, though the team did also add former Chargers tight end Stone Smartt.
In the middle rounds of the draft the Jets addressed their secondary with Florida State cornerback Azareye'h Thomas in the third and safety Malachi Moore in the fourth, though neither may be asked to start right away. Further defensive depth came in the fifth round with two former Miami Hurricanes, linebacker Francisco Mauigoa and defensive end Tyler Baron.
Thomas and Moore might start out as reserves because the Jets also used free agency to add former Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens on a three-year, $36 million deal and former Jacksonville safety Andre Cisco on a one-year pact. Defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi comes over from the Chiefs and also could start while former Bear Byron Cowart adds depth at the same position.
The Jets may have a new kicking duo in 2025. The team added undrafted free agent placekicker Caden Davis out of Ole Miss and he will compete with holdover Anders Carlson. Carlson was one of four players who kicked for the Jets in 2024. At punter, the Jets moved on from veteran Thomas Morstead in May after adding a pair of new and untested candidates in Austin McNamara and Kai Kroger. McNamara signed with the Bengals last year as an undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech but didn't win the job. Kroger is an undrafted rookie out of South Carolina.
2025 Departures
As noted, the Jets moved on from Rodgers after two unsatisfying seasons, and eight days before that move they also cut wide receiver Davante Adams, who had been acquired in a midseason trade with Las Vegas. Adams had 67 catches for 854 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 seasons in New York. The Jets had already traded wide receiver Mike Williams to Pittsburgh in November.
The Jets also released linebacker C.J. Mosley after a six-year stint interrupted by a 2020 COVID-19 opt-out and a pair of major injuries. Mosley only played in four games in 2024. The team also did not re-sign tackle Tyron Smith, safety Chuck Clark or safety Jalen Mills, all of whom started at least eight games last season. Smith subsequently signed a one-year contract in Dallas to ceremonially retire as a Cowboy.
One significant free agency defection was that of cornerback D.J. Reed, who started opposite Gardner and had 11 pass-breakups last season. Reed landed a three-year $48-million deal in Detroit to replace Carlton Davis. Tight end Tyler Conklin left for the Chargers and a small, one-year deal. Three defenders who had seen diminished playing time in 2024 also left town: defensive end Solomon Thomas for Dallas, cornerback Brandin Echols for Pittsburgh and safety Ashtyn Davis for Miami. Another three veterans departed New York after just one season with the Jets in defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, outside linebacker Haason Reddick and tackle Morgan Moses. Reddick signed a one-year deal with the Buccaneers.
As noted above, the Jets moved on from veteran punter Morstead, and three days later they also released veteran kicker Greg Zuerlein. Overall, the Jets are returning just 58.0% of their players from the 2024 roster, according to Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap, the lowest percentage in the NFL.
Other Noteworthy Developments
Perhaps the most significant offseason addition for the Jets was Glenn, a hot head coach candidate after his success on Dan Campbell's staff in Detroit. Tanner Engstrand, who had been the passing game coordinator with the Lions the previous two years, came with Glenn to New Yor, and Steve Wilks returned to the NFL after one year in the NCAA ranks to serve as defensive coordinator. Wilks has previously been a coordinator in San Francisco, Carolina and Cleveland and has had head coaching stints with the Cardinals and Panthers.
After dismissing Saleh in October, the Jets also fired General Manager Joe Douglas during their November bye week. Taking Douglas's place is Darren Mougey, who had spent 13 seasons in the Broncos' personnel department, the last three as assistant general manager.
In the 2022 draft, the Jets made three picks in the first round thanks to a previous Jamal Adams trade and an in-draft swap with the Titans to move up to number 26. The three players they landed were Wilson, Gardner and defensive end Jermaine Johnson, and none of those picks missed. Wilson has topped 1,000 receiving yards in each of his three seasons and both Gardner and Johnson have been to the Pro Bowl. Accordingly, the Jets elected to pick up the fifth-year options on the contracts for all three players this offseason.
Pressing Questions
Can Justin Fields give the Jets a long-term answer at quarterback with his third NFL opportunity?
This is obviously the most important question for the Jets in 2025 and it could have long-term repercussions on the franchise itself. With Glenn taking over a defense that is already among the league's best, the Jets are likely to be fine on that side of the ball, and they have some very nice offensive pieces in Wilson, Hall, Taylor and an offensive line that now looks like it could be above average. But the Jets likely won't end their playoff drought if they don't get good results from the quarterback position.
The Steelers were reportedly interested in re-signing Fields – and, tellingly, not Wilson – after the season but were out-bid by the Jets, suggesting there are plenty of people in the NFL who think the 26-year-old quarterback still has star potential. The 11th-overall pick in the 2021 draft, Fields looked like he might become the Bears' long-term answer at quarterback after he ran for a Lamar Jackson-like 1,143 yards while tossing 17 touchdown passes. But the Bears only won 10 of his 38 starts and he never really developed into a league-average passer. Fields will definitely bring a new element to the Jets' offense with his running ability, and that will give him a high floor even if he proves to be just a short-term answer. However, if the Jets are able to get more out of him in the passing game, their offense could catch up with that strong defense.
Will the Jets get long-term extensions done for any or all of their 2022 first-round picks?
It's a great problem for the Jets to have. Not only are Gardner, Wilson and Johnson locked in for the 2026 season – at significantly higher salaries – but they are also now eligible to sign contract extensions. Teams that are interested in retaining their own homegrown talent often like to get new deals done before the players are in the last seasons of their contracts, meaning the Jets could be motivated to talk to any or all of those three this summer. According to Spotrac, the Jets currently have around $37 million in available cap space, the seventh-highest number in the league, and are projected to have around $59 million in 2026. The post-June 1 designations the Jets put on the releases of Rodgers and Mosley meant their available space recently went up.
It may be difficult to get all three deals done at once, however. If that's the case, who would the Jets prioritize. Gardner looked like a superstar at a premium position almost since the first day he took the field in the NFL but his 2024 season wasn't quite as impressive as his first two, when he was an Associated Press first-team All-Pro. Wilson has topped 1,000 receiving yards in each of his three seasons, and that was with some less-than-stellar quarterback play along the way. Johnson had 7.5 sacks on the way to the Pro Bowl in 2023 but missed most of last season with a torn Achilles tendon. The Jets may want to see how well Johnson returns to form before committing to a long-term deal.
