Andre Cisco is eyeing redemption in second year with his hometown Jets

Andre Cisco received the opportunity every lifelong New York Jets fan dreams about when he signed with his hometown team last offseason. Unfortunately for the Queens native, things didn't exactly go according to plan.

The Jets brought Cisco back on a one-year, $2.5 million contract this offseason after an injury-shortened and disappointing 2025 season. He'll enter training camp with another chance to carve out a role, but unlike a year ago, a starting job is no longer waiting for him.

Day 55 of your 2026 Jets Camp Countdown belongs to the Syracuse Sniper, the forgotten hometown hero, childhood Jets fan, and the other Long Island native on the Jets roster...it's Andre Cisco.

1. Where Andre Cisco stands entering Jets training camp
2. Andre Cisco hopes to rediscover the player the Jets thought they were signing
3. What would make 2026 a success for Andre Cisco
4. Recent 2026 Camp Countdown Breakdowns

Where Andre Cisco stands entering Jets training camp

Cisco was one of the Jets' most notable free-agent signings of the 2025 offseason, agreeing to a one-year, $8.5 million contract after four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jets were high on his youth, upside, and ability to take the football away. Cisco started eight games before a torn pectoral muscle ended his season in Week 8, but he never found the consistency the Jets hoped for.

The Jets still saw enough to bring him back, although on a much smaller one-year, $2.5 million deal. Half of that contract is guaranteed, meaning that it's likely Cisco will make the 53-man roster.

RELATED: This overlooked Jets signing could solve two major defensive problems

Winning a starting job is a different story, however. Dane Belton and rookie Malachi Moore will both be competing for snaps alongside Minkah Fitzpatrick, potentially leaving Cisco on the outside looking in as camp begins.

Andre Cisco hopes to rediscover the player the Jets thought they were signing

Cisco garnered a reputation in Jacksonville as someone who had a nose for the football. The 26-year-old recorded eight interceptions, 24 pass breakups, and three forced fumbles during his first four NFL seasons, making him one of the league's more intriguing young safeties when he reached free agency.

But the Jets never really saw that version of Cisco last year. He finished 2025 without an interception — as did the entire roster — and managed just one pass breakup in eight games. His lone takeaway came on a fumble recovery in Week 7, which also happened to be the Jets' first takeaway of the entire season.

To his credit, Cisco didn't shy away from that disappointment. Cisco told Newsday in an exclusive interview after re-signing with the Jets this past spring that he wasn't satisfied with how he played in 2025 and specifically pointed to his lack of takeaways as an area he expects to improve.

"I didn’t stay healthy; I didn't play to the standard I want to play to; I didn't help us stack wins and take the ball away. All the things that I kind of pride myself on."

Andre Cisco

Tackling was also another issue for Cisco. The IMG Academy product missed more than 18 percent of his tackle attempts last season, bringing his career missed tackle rate above 14 percent. That's been one of the biggest weaknesses in his game since entering the NFL back in 2021.

Camp Countdown: Your guide to every player on the 2026 Jets roster

What would make 2026 a success for Andre Cisco

Cisco doesn't have to reclaim a starting job for this season to be a success. If anything, that seems unlikely at this stage.

But if he's able to earn a semi-regular role on defense, rediscover the playmaking ability that made him an attractive free agent, and prove he can contribute on special teams, he'll give the Jets quality depth at a position that looks much stronger than it did a year ago.

Cisco didn't play a single special teams snap last season, but that is likely to change in 2026 if he opens the year as the fourth safety. He hasn't played regular special teams snaps since his rookie year.

Andre Cisco grew up on Long Island rooting for the Jets and now gets another chance to make an impact for the team he watched as a kid. This summer will go a long way toward determining whether that opportunity extends beyond one more season.

Recent 2026 Camp Countdown Breakdowns

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