Jets confirm season-ending injury to notable defensive starter

The New York Jets have officially confirmed some unfortunate news regarding one of their defensive starters. Head coach Aaron Glenn told reporters on Monday that safety Andre Cisco will miss the remainder of the 2025 season after suffering a torn pectoral muscle in last week’s 39-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Glenn added that Cisco will undergo shoulder surgery in the coming days, as he's apparently been nursing an injury throughout the year. The news comes after reports surfaced last week that Cisco’s injury was expected to be season-ending, though the team hadn’t confirmed the severity until now.

The 25-year-old went down in the second half of the Bengals game and did not return, with subsequent tests revealing the full extent of the damage. Tony Adams was called on to replace him, and the former UDFA seems likely to return to the starting lineup in his place.

It’s another tough blow for a Jets defense that’s already battled its share of injuries this year. Cisco's brief Jets career might already have come to an end.

Jets lose starting safety Andre Cisco to season-ending injury

Cisco signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Jets this offseason, hoping to bring a true ball-hawking presence to the secondary. Unfortunately, the flashes of playmaking ability never outweighed the inconsistencies in his game.

Cisco’s reputation as a ball-hawking safety preceded him when he arrived in New York, but that version of his game never truly materialized with the Jets. After recording eight interceptions over the previous three seasons, Cisco failed to register a single one in his first year with the team.

His playmaking production dropped off across the board, as after posting a career-high six pass breakups with Jacksonville in 2024, he managed just one in eight games this season before his injury.

The bigger issue, however, was Cisco’s inconsistency as a tackler and in coverage. He finished the year with nine times as many missed tackles as pass breakups, recording a career-worst 18.4% missed tackle rate and a 43.6 Pro Football Focus tackling grade, both personal lows.

Opposing quarterbacks had no trouble finding success against him either, as Cisco surrendered 14 catches on 17 targets for a 152.6 passer rating, also the worst mark of his career.

For comparison, he allowed just 18 receptions on 29 targets all of last season, despite nearly doubling his snap count. His 54.5 PFF coverage grade reflected that drop-off, marking another career low in what proved to be a frustrating season for the Syracuse product.

The aforementioned Tony Adams is the favorite to start at free safety with Cisco now sidelined. Adams began the year as a starter for the Jets before he found himself benched in favor of rookie Malachi Moore.

The Jets also have versatile veteran Isaiah Oliver on the 53-man roster and the likes of undrafted rookie Dean Clark and J.T. Woods on the practice squad. Clark feels like a safe bet to take Cisco's place on the active roster if the Jets promote a safety.

Cisco’s season — and likely his brief Jets tenure — ends as one of unfulfilled promise. What was supposed to be a fresh start turned into a year defined by missed opportunities, and now his future with the Jets is very much in doubt heading into 2026.