Stop me if you have heard this before- the New York Jets need a quarterback.
The team signed Justin Fields in free agency last offseason, but it didn’t take long for that signing to look like like a mistake. Fields ended up getting benched in favor of Tyrod Taylor, and undrafted free agent Brady Cook ended the season as the starter.
The Jets were dealt more bad news when star Oregon quarterback Dante Moore announced he will return to Oregon in 2026. Fernando Mendoza and Moore have been considered the top options, with a big gap between those two and the third and fourth quarterbacks in the 2026 draft.
It no longer seems likely the Jets will take a quarterback in the first round, so they may have to get creative. PFSN’s Ryan Guthrie believes the team could go for another reclamation project, this time with Malik Willis.
Willis is similar to Fields in several ways. Both quarterbacks are dual-threats and both were dumped by the team that drafted them. Willis has impressed in limited playing time with the Green Bay Packers, though, and likely made himself some money.
Regarding Willis and the Jets, Guthrie offered the following:
The Jets may try this again.
With no clear quarterback at No. 2 overall and Dante Moore returning to school, Malik Willis becomes an intriguing option. He flashed in limited action, filling in for Jordan Love. The talent is there; whether the Jets can develop him is the real question.
As Guthrie mentioned, Willis may just be the best option for the Jets now that Moore is out of the equation.
In 2025, Willis played in four games and completed 30 of his 35 pass attempts for 422 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. The Liberty product also rushed for 123 yards and two scores in 2025.
2024 and 2025 were a complete 180 from how Willis’ first two seasons in the NFL went. The quarterback was inconsistent and inaccurate with the Tennessee Titans, but looked like a potential quality starter with the Packers.
The problem is, does anybody trust the Jets to get the best out of Willis? The team has one of the worst track records in the league when it comes to developing young quarterbacks.
That doesn’t mean they should quit trying, though. The only other options are to reach for a rookie, run it back with Fields, or try to trade for a veteran. Willis would be a low-risk, high-reward option who could finally break the Jets’ streak of ineptitude.