Jets fans can officially rule out one veteran quarterback target

There are almost a dozen realistic names you could throw out as quarterback options for the New York Jets in 2026.

Not all of them are great. Heck, most of them don't even have multiple seasons of NFL starting experience to their name. But one Jets insider says we can cross one potential name off the list, and isn't considering New York as one of his options as he enters free agency.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins is expected to be released before the start of the new league year on March 11, per ESPN's Marc Raimondi, and while multiple teams will vie for his services, it seems Cousins won't be considering the Jets too seriously, despite a reported connection between himself and new offensive coordinator Frank Reich.

The Jets and Kirk Cousins are just not meant to be

The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt shot down the notion that the Jets and Cousins could unite in free agency, despite New York's dire need for a new quarterback and Cousins' desire to continue his career as a starter in the NFL.

"The sense I get is that Cousins doesn’t consider the Jets to be a desired destination unless there aren’t any other starting options out there for him. I’m not sure the Jets are especially interested anyway."

Zack Rosenblatt

Cousins would've made a fine bridge quarterback for the Jets in 2026. At 37-years-old, he isn't a threat to usurp any potential youngster that New York may acquire over the next two years, and would provide league-average play for a team that has been starved for it over the last decade.

In relief of the injured Michael Penix Jr. this past season, Cousins showed he still had some juice left in the tank, completing 61.7% of his passes for 1,721 yards, along with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions in eight starts.

Clearly, his preference is to join a team better positioned to win now, as opposed to the current situation the Jets are in.

This won't be the first time Cousins has spurned the Jets in free agency. In 2018, New York was in a similar situation: looking for some stability at the quarterback position. Then general manager Mike Maccagnan did his best to lure the free-agent QB to the Jets with a three-year, $90 million contract.

Instead, Cousins opted to join the Minnesota Vikings for $6 million less. The Jets found a way to keep on chugging along without the Pro Bowl quarterback then, and they'll certainly do it now.