The Athletic: The Jets’ 10 best free agents

The Jets’ 10 best free agents: Breece Hall and a pair of guards top the list

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7034975/2026/02/10/new-york-jets-free-agents/

The Super Bowl is over. For the New York Jets, this is when the real season starts.

Welcome to the offseason, where the Jets thrive. Last year was mostly a quiet free agency period as Aaron Glenn tried to “move in silence.” The result was a 3-14 season with many fans calling for the coach’s head. This time around, the Jets will have a whole lot of money and draft capital to work with — they are currently projected for $83 million in cap space by Over the Cap, with two first-round picks and two second-round picks to play with.

Between now and the official start of free agency in March, the Jets will have some decisions to make on their own free agents. They got ahead of things with a couple of players — tight end Jeremy Ruckert and center Josh Myers signed early extensions. It wouldn’t be surprising if that happens for a couple others to prevent them from breaking free.

Here’s a look at the Jets’ top 10 free agents, how much they could earn on the open market and their chances of coming back in 2026.

1. RB Breece Hall (age 24)
The high point of Hall’s time with the Jets came in Week 7 of the 2022 season, when he burst through the Denver Broncos defense for an impressive 62-yard touchdown run. That day also featured the low point of his time with the Jets: when he tore his ACL. He was headed toward a record-setting rookie season and probably would have stolen the Offensive Rookie of the Year award away from Garrett Wilson, his teammate.

Hall never quite captured the same level of burst he showed as a rookie, but he has still entrenched himself as one of the better running backs in recent Jets history. Hall has remained one of the NFL’s more productive running backs, even if it hasn’t always been consistent: He’s 15th since 2022 in rushing yards despite missing 12 games during that stretch and being part of an Aaron Rodgers-led offense in 2024 that was last in the NFL in rush attempts. He’s 10th in scrimmage yards over that span. The last two seasons combined, Hall ranks second in explosive plays (rushes of 12-plus yards or receptions of 16-plus) among running backs (51), seventh in receptions (93) and fifth in receiving yards (833), despite often feeling like an afterthought in the passing game.

Hall had his best season since his rookie year in 2025, running with more explosiveness and power and attacking contact more than he had in the past, though there were some weeks when he disappeared. From Week 12 through 16, he averaged three yards per carry. He dropped two passes in 2025 and nine in 2024, and he has the second-most fumbles (eight) in the last two years, losing four of them.

He’s not a superstar, but he’s a solid running back and widely viewed as the top player at his position in this free agency class. Expect his next contract to land somewhere in the same range as Kyren Williams’ and James Cook’s deals they signed last year, averaging $11-13 million per season. PFF projects three years and $37 million for Hall.

If the Jets want him back, they might have to franchise-tag him, which will be worth $14.5 million in 2026.

2. G Alijah Vera-Tucker (age 26)
Vera-Tucker is a complicated player to evaluate. On one hand, his talent is undeniable; he’s viewed as having Pro Bowl-caliber potential. His versatility — he’s played both tackle and both guard spots in the NFL, though he’s best suited for guard — is undeniable. But his durability is obviously a major question mark. He missed all but seven games in 2022 with a triceps injury. He missed all but five in 2023 with an Achilles injury. He only missed two games in 2024, but tore his triceps again before the 2025 season and didn’t play at all.

As such, it seems likely that he’ll have to settle for an incentive-laden, prove-it type of deal to let teams (like the Jets) see if he can stay healthy for a year. Though it’s not inconceivable that someone will want to pay to add a player with his talent and hope the injury issues are behind him.

James Daniels signed a three-year, $24 million deal with the Miami Dolphins last year after tearing his Achilles in 2024, so there is some precedent for investing in an injured player. PFF remains high on Vera-Tucker’s prospects for this offseason, projecting a contract worth $70 million over four years — which might be a bit too rich for the Jets’ blood.

3. G John Simpson (age 28)
Simpson was a pleasant surprise for the Jets after the previous regime signed him in 2024. He developed into an emotional leader and solid run blocker, though he did take a step back in 2025 — and needs to work on his proclivity for post-play penalties. He allowed five sacks in 2025, per PFF, and was penalized 10 times, the second-most among all guards.

Still, he’s a solid player, and there’s a feeling the Jets could be deciding on Simpson or Vera-Tucker to re-sign and start at left guard in 2026. Simpson will likely not cost as much to keep as Vera-Tucker, considering he’s coming off a contract that paid him $6 million per season. He’s likely to get a raise on that, but probably not a significant one.

4. LB Quincy Williams (age 29)
Williams was an All-Pro in 2023 and the best example of the way the previous Jets staff was able to develop talent on defense. He took a slight step back in 2024 — and then a big step back in 2025. At one point, Williams was benched and pulled from the starting lineup, though that didn’t last long. PFF had him ranked 69th of 78 linebackers to play at least 500 snaps, and he had a missed tackle rate of 15.7 percent while allowing five touchdowns in coverage.

Williams didn’t get along with the Jets’ new coaching staff — namely defensive coordinator Steve Wilks and linebackers coach Aaron Curry — and, according to a team source, told people late last season that he was preparing as if these were his final games with the Jets. A change of scenery could be good for him, especially if he lands back with Robert Saleh (Tennessee Titans) or Jeff Ulbrich (Atlanta Falcons). Spotrac calculates his market value at $9.2 million per season, though that feels a bit high considering his 2025 performance.

 

5. QB Tyrod Taylor (age 36)
At this point, Taylor is who he is — a highly-respected veteran and perfectly capable backup quarterback who has a hard time staying healthy. When it comes to injuries, Taylor’s luck has been as bad as any recent player’s. In 2025, that showed up multiple times — none worse than when he was on track to replace Justin Fields as the starter heading into an October game against the Cincinnati Bengals, only to suffer an injury in practice that knocked him out that week.

Taylor threw five touchdowns and five interceptions on 134 pass attempts and ran for one touchdown. He can still be a viable backup for a team in search of leadership in its quarterback room. Taylor made $6 million per year on his last contract and could garner in that range again. Maybe the Jets will want to bring him back, but it’s more likely they go in another direction.

6. S Andre Cisco (age 25)
The Athletic had Cisco 76th in its free agency rankings last year and he probably has the same level of stock heading into this offseason, though he is coming off a pectoral injury that cost him nine games. And before the injury, it’s not as if he was performing at his 2023 level (when he had four interceptions for the Jacksonville Jaguars). The Jets’ secondary was wildly inconsistent, with and without him.

He’ll still only be 26 when next season begins and was solid as a run stopper before his injury, though in coverage he allowed 14 catches on 17 targets with three touchdowns. He can be a starting-caliber safety when he’s healthy, which is enough to draw interest in free agency. He’s unlikely to return as the Jets revamp their safety room.

7. DE Micheal Clemons (age 28)
Before Jets fans get too upset: This is more about projecting how the rest of the league might view players in free agency. If the Jets re-sign Clemons, fans certainly won’t be happy. However, in reality, he wasn’t as bad as it seemed the past few seasons; he just received far too much playing time. He’s best suited as a rotational third or fourth defensive end, not someone playing as much as he did with the Jets: 54 percent of the snaps in 2024 (with 17 starts) and 55 percent in 2025.

Yes, he lacks discipline, commits penalties at the worst times and has had some of the more confounding missed tackles. But Clemons also had 4.5 sacks in 2024 and 13 combined QB hits over the last two years.

It’s conceivable that someone could talk themselves into Clemons having untapped potential because of his ridiculous frame and the past moments when he was kind of productive. Saleh is known to have an affinity for him. Just don’t be surprised if Clemons gets more money in free agency than some might expect.

8. K Nick Folk (age 41)
The Jets signed Folk during training camp when their other options — including Harrison Mevis, who went on to have a nice season for the Los Angeles Rams — were struggling. Folk took over and never looked back, putting together one of the best kicking seasons in franchise history: 28 of 29 field goals made — including 7 of 8 from 50-plus — and 22 of 22 extra points. That included a game-winning 58-yarder against the Falcons.

By all accounts, Folks is not ready to retire, and the Jets would be smart to bring him back for another year. Folk signed a one-year, $2.8 million deal last season and a similar deal seems likely.

9. RB/KR Kene Nwangwu (age 28)
When he’s healthy, Nwangwu has a case for being the most dynamic kick returner in the NFL. Durability has been an issue the last few years — he missed five games in 2025 and the last four of the 2024 season. Still, he’s scored two touchdowns on 21 kick returns for the Jets and led the NFL in average yards per return (33.6) this season. His two touchdowns both went for 99 yards, and he also had another return of 72 yards and three others of 35 or more yards.

Beyond that, Nwangwu was also one of the Jets’ best gunners on special teams in 2025. He might not get a huge contract, but there will be interest because of his special teams value — especially in the modern NFL, where kick returns matter again.

10. S Tony Adams (age 27)
His Jets career might best be known for something that was out of his control: When owner Woody Johnson forced Ulbrich to bench him during the 2024 season. Adams was benched a couple more times by Aaron Glenn’s staff in 2025. It was a bumpy end of his Jets tenure to be sure, and he’s certainly a flawed player, but he can bring some valuable depth and experience to a secondary, and it would be fair to call him a success story considering he was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and became a full-time starter.

PFF graded him 49th of 83 safeties to play at least 400 snaps, and 30th in coverage. He had a poor missed tackle rate of 15.5 percent, and often those missed tackles led to huge plays or touchdowns. Adams is unlikely to return to the Jets in 2026.

Others: OL Max Mitchell, WR John Metchie (restricted), DB Isaiah Oliver, FB Andrew Beck, G Xavier Newman-Johnson