Justin Fields and 6 Jets players who definitely won't be back in 2026

The New York Jets are set to enter an offseason that promises to feature substantial changes up and down the roster. Between expiring contracts, failed experiments, and players who simply regressed, clarity has arrived faster than expected in several areas of the roster.

Even before personnel decisions are formally made and new staff members are brought in, there are certain names whose futures in Florham Park feel effectively decided.

This list will focus on those players whose time with the organization appears definitively over. That group begins with Justin Fields and includes several others who will almost certainly not be part of the team’s plans in 2026.

These Jets players definitely will not be back in 2026

1. QB Justin Fields

The Jets decided to take a flier on Justin Fields as a high-upside bridge quarterback in a weak offseason market, signing him to a two-year, $40 million contract with a whopping $30 million in guarantees.

While the move made sense at the time and was generally well-received by Jets fans, it proved to be a disastrous decision. Fields put together the worst season of his NFL career in 2025 and found himself benched on multiple occasions.

It has been abundantly clear for months that Justin Fields and the Jets were headed toward an offseason split. Unlike the other players on this list, the Jets would have to release Justin Fields, absorbing roughly $22 million in dead cap in the process. Unless an unlikely trade partner emerges, that is the expected outcome.

2. QB Tyrod Taylor

Fields isn’t the only Jets quarterback likely to depart this offseason. Tyrod Taylor has been a serviceable backup over the past two seasons, starting four games this year and, low bar and all, arguably providing the team’s most competent quarterback play.

Still, with Taylor set to hit free agency in March, it’s a safe bet to assume his time with the Jets has come to an end. The team is expected to overhaul its quarterback room this offseason, a process that will include both a new starter and a new backup.

Taylor is a capable NFL quarterback, but his extensive injury history limits his reliability and overall value. It would be surprising to see the Jets bring him back for another season, even in a backup role.

3. DE Micheal Clemons

Everyone’s least favorite Jets defensive end, Micheal Clemons, somehow stuck around for another year as a rotational edge defender in 2025, and believe it or not, he was the team’s undisputed best backup at the position. Once again, that's the lowest of bars, but that doesn't make it untrue.

Clemons actually played a career-high 55 percent of the Jets’ defensive snaps this season, finishing with just one sack and five total quarterback hits. His tenure in New York will likely be remembered more for his boneheaded personal foul penalties than for anything he produced on the field.

But hey, at least he somehow managed to outlast fellow 2022 draftee Sauce Gardner on the Jets’ roster. That has to count for something, right?

4. WR Josh Reynolds

Another position group poised for major turnover this offseason is wide receiver. Josh Reynolds feels like the kind of short-term stopgap fans will forget ever wore green within a few years. He's the classic “remember when he was a Jet?” signing that never truly registered.

The Jets signed Reynolds in the offseason, hoping the well-traveled veteran could serve as a serviceable WR2 or WR3 in an unproven receiver room. He was… there, I guess. Beyond that, there isn’t much to say about his brief and largely forgettable Jets tenure.

Reynolds finished with 11 catches for 101 yards in just five games before landing on the injured reserve early in the season. The Jets will bring in new receivers to pair with the likes of Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell in the offseason. As for Reynolds, this might be the end of his NFL career.

5. S Tony Adams

The Jets will also be looking to make major changes to their safety room in the coming months, and one player who feels highly unlikely to return is Tony Adams. Much like Clemons, he feels like a leftover product of the previous regime.

Adams may have worn out his welcome with Jets fans, but he was a quiet developmental success story of the Robert Saleh era, going from undrafted rookie to a player who started nearly 40 games for the Jets over the last three seasons.

That said, Adams has been benched in consecutive seasons and is set to hit unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career. The Jets will almost definitely go in a different direction this offseason.

6. S Andre Cisco

Adams isn’t the only starting safety from the Jets’ 2025 roster likely to be gone this offseason, as his Week 1 running mate, Andre Cisco, appears poised to follow suit. Cisco signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Jets in the offseason, but it's safe to say his lone year in New York didn't go according to plan.

The Jets signed Cisco hoping he could rebound from an underwhelming 2024 season and add a playmaking element to the defense. Instead, he settled in as a largely nondescript, low-end starter for eight games before landing on injured reserve.

The Jets will likely add at least one new safety in the offseason to pair with the young Malachi Moore in the team's secondary. Cisco's brief, forgettable tenure with his hometown team will be little more than a footnote in Jets history.