Why the Jets should steer clear of Ty Simpson despite a thin 2026 draft class

New York Jets general manager Darren Mougey told reporters on Tuesday that his team plans to "exhaust every option" in their search for a solution to the quarterback position this offseason. One day later, one potential solution officially entered the conversation.

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson announced his intention to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft on Wednesday. Simpson is widely seen as a potential first-round pick in this year's draft, although it was never a lock that he would ultimately declare.

A thin quarterback class combined with positive stock reports from NFL teams led to Simpson making the decision to go pro early, and with that, he becomes a very intriguing option for the Jets this offseason.

All eyes remain on Indiana's Fernando Mendoza and Oregon's Dante Moore, but if the latter doesn't follow Simpson's lead and declare for the NFL Draft, there's a very real possibility that the Alabama product could be the second quarterback off the board in April.

Does that make him a target for the Jets? Is Simpson a realistic and, more importantly, a viable option for Mougey's team? The answer isn't necessarily straightforward.

Let's have the Jets-Ty Simpson conversation

Simpson is a former five-star recruit who bided his time for three years at Tuscaloosa before finally taking over as the school's starter in 2025. And this year, Simpson put his name on the map as one of the best quarterbacks in the country.

He finished the season completing nearly 65 percent of his passes, throwing for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns, and just five interceptions en route to second-team All-SEC honors. You could make a case that, for a stretch early in the season, he was playing like the best quarterback in college football.

Simpson’s biggest strength is how polished he already looks from the pocket. What really stands out is how advanced he is mentally for a first-year starter. He processes quickly, manipulates defenders with his eyes, and consistently throws with touch and placement, especially on intermediate concepts.

He checks a lot of boxes that an inexperienced college quarterback with just 15 starts typically does not. However, there’s a reason he’s no longer being mocked as a top-five pick like he was just a few months ago.

Simpson played some of his worst football down the stretch, with his games against Georgia in the SEC Championship and Indiana in the College Football Playoff standing out as his two worst performances of the season.

The 23-year-old looked overwhelmed at times against stiffer competition, throwing just one touchdown and earning a Pro Football Focus grade below 50.0 in each outing. The pocket awareness he showcased earlier in the season appeared to vanish late in the season.

Simpson has a tendency to invite pressure, as reflected in his elevated 18.1 percent pressure-to-sack rate in 2025. He also struggled with ball security, fumbling six times, including a stretch of five consecutive games.

It’s difficult to sell yourself on a 23-year-old, one-year starter with just 15 career starts who regressed as the season went on and played his worst football against the toughest competition, especially when he doesn’t bring elite size or standout physical traits to the table.

That isn’t to say Simpson’s statistical regression was entirely on him. It may sound strange for an Alabama quarterback, but Simpson didn’t exactly have much help around him, especially when compared to players like Mendoza and Moore.

Alabama's offensive line was a mess outside of Kadyn Proctor. The Crimson Tide led the SEC in drops and lacked any semblance of a running game. Simpson's offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb, also received his share of heat for Alabama's offensive struggles in 2025.

Still, Simpson will likely be graded by most teams as a Day 2 quarterback prospect. A few teams may talk themselves into his early-season tape and advanced processing for a young quarterback, but the reality is that he would not be a consensus Round 1 pick in most draft classes.

Whether injuries played a role or not (he was rumored to be playing through a herniated disc), it’s difficult to ignore how sharply Simpson’s play dipped down the stretch, which is especially concerning given his limited resume.

With just 15 career starts, that late-season regression is a tough sell, particularly when it came against the best defenses he faced, including Georgia and Indiana.

The inexperience shows on tape more clearly than it does with Moore, most notably in how often Simpson invites pressure. That profile makes him a non-starter at the top of the draft for the Jets.

Even if Moore were to stay in school, Simpson feels like a stretch at No. 16 and far more appropriately graded as a Day 2 option. Ideally, the Jets would pass altogether in Round 1 and only revisit the conversation if he’s still on the board in Round 2, which seems unlikely in this class.

It feels far less daunting to take a Day 2 flier on Simpson than to invest significant Day 1 capital in him, a move that would likely box the Jets out of pursuing a first-round quarterback in 2027.

Ty Simpson could still develop into a good NFL quarterback, but he's just far too risky of an investment for a Jets regime that will likely only get one true swing at the position. For that reason, it would be best for the Jets to go in a different direction this offseason.