NFL insider slams the door shut on Jets' Fernando Mendoza dreams

One of the most obvious needs for the New York Jets this offseason is a fresh face at quarterback. Justin Fields is likely gone, Tyrod Taylor is set to hit free agency, and you could easily argue Brady Cook should even be on an active roster come Week 1 of the 2026 season.

Of course, in a year where the Jets only won three games and hold the No. 2 pick in the draft, there's only one viable quarterback option to justify a selection that high, and with the Las Vegas Raiders set to pick at No. 1 overall, National Champion and Heisman Trophy winner quarterback Fernando Mendoza is likely out of reach for New York.

But what about a trade? The Jets have four selections in the top-45 picks this April, and three first-round picks in the 2027 NFL Draft. Could they package some of that draft capital together and put together a godfather offer to move the Raiders off the No. 1 pick?

Unfortunately for the Indiana-Jets fans out there, NFL Draft expert Daniel Jeremiah doesn't think there's any possibility that New York could pry Mendoza away from Las Vegas.

Daniel Jeremiah says the Jets have no chance to trade for the No. 1 overall pick

In an interview with Rich Eisen on The Rich Eisen Show, Jeremiah reported that the buzz around the Senior Bowl was that the Jets were poking around to see if they could entice the Raiders to a trade for the No. 1 overall pick.

"I think the Jets would make an effort with all the picks that they have accumulated to try and see if they can pry that pick away from the Raiders. The buzz down here amongst all the teams is there's no chance that the Raiders would trade off of that pick."

Daniel Jeremiah

Eisen was in disbelief hearing that the Jets, with all the holes on their roster, would cough up the draft capital to move up for Mendoza. But Jeremiah explained that it was "irrelevant" either way, since the Raiders are deadset on making him their franchise quarterback.

If there's any other team that's had close to the struggles of finding their long-term solution under center, it's the Raiders. Similar to the Jets, they've tried everything over the last decade. Veteran signings, trade acquisitions, but nothing has really panned out.

But once again, it's just the Jets' luck that the year they land the No. 2 overall pick, it's a one-quarterback class at the top of the draft.

The Jets will have to look elsewhere for a solution to their quarterback struggles in 2026, likely with another veteran stopgap. They can always take a shot on a prospect like Alabama's Ty Simpson or LSU's Garrett Nussmeier with their other first-round pick or early second-round pick, but that quarterback wouldn't be as pro-ready as Mendoza and would have to sit for at least the first half of the season.

It's encouraging to see just how aggressive the Jets are willing to be to find their future franchise signal-caller this offseason.

Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey know that their job security is tied to proving they're the ones who can turn it around in Florham Park, and landing a promising young quarterback would go a long way in easing the concerns of fans and ownership.