The New York Jets could use the 2025 NFL Draft to find their quarterback of the future. After the abject failure of the Aaron Rodgers experiment, it could be back to square one for a team that has struggled to find a franchise signal caller for decades. And while they haven’t exactly proved to be successful in their past attempts, few teams around the league have more experience than the Jets in drafting QBs.
Jets Have Drafted 9 QBs Since 2010, Tied For Most In The NFL
Since the year 2011, the Jets have selected 9 different quarterbacks with their draft picks. No other team has picked more of them, and they are tied with the division rival Patriots for the most in the league over that span.
I love how Aaron Rodgers responded to Rich Cimini’s hypothetical about the #Jets drafting a young QB in 2025 & him potentially returning.
‘If they ask me back & they drafted a guy, I’d mentor the hell out of him if I was playing & I’d try to play as well as I could to keep him… pic.twitter.com/YY5Fh1l4NQ
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) December 18, 2024
Many of them have been picks in the later rounds, becoming depth pieces destined for the practice squad. But since 2013, New York has used 4 early-round selections on quarterbacks. That year, they took Geno Smith with the 39th overall pick. He has enjoyed a career resurgence in recent years while playing for the Seahawks, but he went 12-18 as the Jets’ starter, eventually being relieved of his duties in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick.
They selected Christian Hackenberg in the second round in 2016, who wound up never playing a single snap in the NFL. He became just the third QB drafted within the first two rounds since 1967 to not play in a game during his first two years.
| Player | Draft Year | Draft Position | Record As Jets Starter |
| Greg McElroy | 2011 | 7th round (208th overall) | 0-1 |
| Geno Smith | 2013 | 2nd round (39th) | 12-18 |
| Tajh Boyd | 2014 | 6th round (213th) | 0-0 |
| Bryce Petty | 2015 | 4th round (103rd) | 1-6 |
| Christian Hackenberg | 2016 | 2nd round (51st) | 0-0 |
| Sam Darnold | 2018 | 1st round (3rd) | 13-25 |
| James Morgan | 2020 | 4th round (125th) | 0-0 |
| Zach Wilson | 2021 | 1st round (2nd) | 12-21 |
| Jordan Travis | 2024 | 5th round (171st) | 0-0 |
Two years later, they used the third overall pick on Sam Darnold. When it was clear that he had flamed out with the team, they turned around and spent the second overall pick on Zach Wilson. The two spent a combined 6 years members of the Jets, and produced a subpar (at best) 25-46 record between them as a starter.
Most recently, the team selected Jordan Travis in the 5th round in 2024.
While they will almost certainly be looking to add to the growing list during the 2025 Draft, they might not be able to use their first round pick on an elite prospect. Most mock drafts have only two quarterbacks that are projected to be top-10 picks, and it is likely that both Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward are gone within the top-5. And while the Jets have been bad this year, there are currently 7 teams that have a worse record and higher draft standing as of Week 16.
