Every Jets player entering their final game under contract in Week 18

The New York Jets enter Week 18 limping toward the finish line of a brutal 2025 season, sitting at 3–13 with little left to play for beyond pride and whatever evaluation the team can muster.

It has been a punishing introduction to the job for first-year head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey, who inherited a roster that never came close to meeting their own expectations.

The silver lining is that the Jets will enter the offseason with flexibility. Ample draft capital and significant cap space should give Glenn and Mougey the tools they need to begin reshaping the roster in their own vision. But before any of that can happen, the Jets must handle some important internal decisions.

The Jets have 24 players set to hit free agency after Week 18, including 20 unrestricted free agents. Many of those calls will be rather straightforward, but a handful of names will require real discussion and careful consideration.

With that in mind, here is a look at every Jets player entering the final game of their contract this season.

List of New York Jets free agents for 2026

Exclusive-rights free agents

• DT Jowon Briggs

The Jets only have one exclusive-rights free agent this offseason, but it's a pretty important one. Defensive tackle Jowon Briggs has quickly developed into one of the best players on the entire roster — full stop. He will be back in 2026, but what exactly is an exclusive-rights free agent?

An ERFA is a player with fewer than three accrued NFL seasons whose contract has expired. If the team extends a one-year qualifying offer at the league minimum, the player cannot negotiate with other teams and must either sign that tender or sit out the season.

In short, as long as the Jets offer Briggs a qualifying offer at the minimum league salary, he will be on the roster in 2026. It's safe to say they plan to do that.

Restricted free agents

• LB Cam Jones
• LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball
• WR John Metchie

The Jets have three players set to be restricted free agents this offseason, with the most notable of which being wide receiver John Metchie. Much like with Briggs, if the Jets want to keep Metchie — or either of their other RFAs — it shouldn't be an issue.

A restricted free agent is a player with three accrued NFL seasons whose contract has expired. The player can negotiate with other teams, but his original team has the right to match any offer sheet or receive draft-pick compensation if it chooses not to match, depending on the tender level applied.

If the Jets choose to retain all three players, they would likely place right-of-first-refusal tenders on Metchie, McCrary-Ball, and Jones, each valued at $3.453 million. A second-round tender would be worth $5.568 million.

Unrestricted free agents

• S Tony Adams
• FB Andrew Beck
• CB Kris Boyd
• S Andre Cisco
• DE Micheal Clemons
• RB Breece Hall
• OT Max Mitchell
• OG Xavier Newman
• RB/KR Kene Nwangwu
• OT Chukwuma Okorafor
• DB Isaiah Oliver
• WR Josh Reynolds
• OG John Simpson
• TE Stone Smartt
• CB Ja'Sir Taylor
• QB Tyrod Taylor
• DT Jay Tufele
• OG Alijah Vera-Tucker
• LB Quincy Williams
• TE Jelani Woods

The remaining 20 players on this list are unrestricted free agents, meaning they will be free to sign a contract with any team at the start of the new league year in March. There are some interesting decisions the Jets will be forced to make.

Running back Breece Hall figures to be at the forefront of internal free-agent discussions for the Jets in the coming months. Reports suggest the Jets are interested in retaining Hall, but is that feeling mutual?

The Jets could opt to place the franchise tag or even the transition tag on Hall if the two sides are unable to reach a long-term agreement. The franchise tag would fully lock Hall in for 2026 at a projected cost of $13.642 million, preventing him from negotiating with other teams.

The transition tag would be cheaper at $11.067 million and allow Hall to explore the market with the Jets retaining the right to match any offer sheet, similar to a restricted free agent.

Other key internal free agents include linebacker Quincy Williams, offensive guards John Simpson and Alijah Vera-Tucker, quarterback Tyrod Taylor, and kick returner Kene Nwangwu. The vast majority of the Jets' UFAs will not be back in 2026, and that's likely for the best.