Former All-Pro headlines list of Jets players who just played their final game

The New York Jets officially closed the book on a miserable 2025 season with a Week 18 loss to the Buffalo Bills, finishing the year with a 3–14 record. Now, all eyes turn to an offseason that promises to feature sweeping changes to the roster.

It was a brutal debut campaign for head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey, one that spiraled well beyond early-season expectations and culminated in one of the least competitive rosters the franchise has ever fielded.

The group the Jets trotted out over the final few weeks barely resembled an NFL-caliber team, which was a reflection of both injuries and an organization clearly eyeing the 2026 NFL Draft.

The silver lining, if there is one, is that much of what Jets fans watched down the stretch is unlikely to be repeated. Many of the players who saw extended action late in the season may not be on an NFL roster next year, let alone back in green and white.

With a major offseason reset on the horizon, roster turnover is inevitable. In fact, several Jets may have just taken their final snaps with the team altogether, which brings us to the players most likely saying goodbye after Sunday’s finale.

These players just played their final game with the Jets

LB Quincy Williams

Quincy Williams should be remembered as one of the Jets’ best development success stories in recent franchise history and a strong representative of the organization over the past half-decade. That said, it is safe to say his time with the team has likely come to an end.

The Jets' decision to extend Jamien Sherwood last offseason already made it unlikely that Williams would be back. Combine that with a very poor season from the former All-Pro linebacker, and it's clear that the Jets will go in a different direction this offseason.

Look for Williams to potentially reunite with one of his former Jets coaches in the coming months, as the Jets likely look to get bigger at the linebacker position. Williams, who probably should have been traded at the deadline, will not be on the Jets' roster in 2026.

QB Brady Cook

It’s hard to be overly critical of Brady Cook given the situation he was thrust into this season, but it’s also fair to say his play ranks among the poorest quarterback stretches the Jets have endured in recent memory, especially considering he started four separate games down the stretch.

Cook finished his rookie season with two touchdowns and seven interceptions, completing under 60% of his passes for 739 yards. He also fumbled three times and averaged an abysmal 4.8 yards per attempt.

The Jets will undoubtedly look to overhaul their quarterback room in the coming months, and while Cook will likely return to compete for a practice squad spot in 2026, it would be an organizational failure if he ever saw the field for the Jets again. We've seen enough.

LG John Simpson

The Jets were the only team in the NFL to start the same group of five offensive linemen in every game this season, and while the unit was arguably the strength of the roster, left guard John Simpson was likely its weakest link.

Simpson was a revelation for the Jets in 2024, putting together a breakout campaign after signing a team-friendly two-year, $12 million contract with the Jets. Unfortunately, he regressed significantly in 2025, finishing with a team-worst 10 accepted penalties.

It's not impossible that Simpson returns on another cheap deal in the offseason, but the Jets seem more likely to prioritize Alijah Vera-Tucker, despite his injury concerns. There's a good chance Simpson just played his final game as a member of the Jets.

DE Braiden McGregor and Eric Watts

The Jets’ defensive end room was among the most disappointing position groups on the roster in 2025. That frustration extended from the starters — Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald, both of whom underwhelmed — to a depth chart that was as thin as any position group in the NFL.

Let's just group all of the Jets' depth edge rushers who played in today's game together. Braiden McGregor and Eric Watts are not NFL-caliber defensive ends. Neither is Kingsley Jonathan, who made his Jets debut on Sunday.

In reality, you could include any of the interchangeable bodies the Jets cycled through along the defensive line on Sunday, including players like Khalen Saunders and Payton Page, among others. The Jets need to completely overhaul their defensive line depth this offseason, and these players should not be part of those plans.