NY Jets eyeing blockbuster trade-up for star QB prospect in 2025 NFL Draft

The NY Jets could be eyeing a franchise-altering move in the 2025 NFL Draft. With the Jets in search of a new starting quarterback this offseason, the team is expected to exhaust all options to find their Aaron Rodgers replacement.

Most expect the Jets to sniff around the markets of free agents like Justin Fields and Russell Wilson, with a chance to also target a quarterback at some point in this year's draft. However, with the No. 7 overall pick, there's no guarantee the Jets will be able to land one of the top signal-callers.

That's why the Jets are considering the possibility of moving up to draft their quarterback of choice. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, that trade-up could be to as high as the No. 1 overall pick.

Fowler reported on Sunday that "the Giants and Jets are among the teams believed to be interested in moving up" to the No. 1 pick, currently held by the Tennessee Titans. Per Fowler, a lot of people around the league believe the Titans would be interested in trading out of that top pick.

NY Jets interested in trading up to land No. 1 overall pick in 2025 NFL Draft

If the Jets were to trade up to the No. 1 overall pick, the expectation is that they would do so for a quarterback. Miami's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders are the two top projected quarterbacks in this year's class.

Sanders' stock has fallen a little in recent weeks, though, so the assumption is that any trade-up would be to land Ward, who appears to be the near-consensus QB1 in this year's draft.

Ward transferred from Washington State to Miami this past season and went from overlooked draft prospect to the No. 1 overall quarterback in his class. The 22-year-old received the Davey O'Brien Award for the nation's best quarterback in 2024, leading his team to a 10-3 record.

Ward is a gunslinger by and large. At 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, Ward has the prerequisite size, athleticism, and arm talent to eventually develop into a star at the NFL level. The flashes of upside are prevalent when watching his tape, but he's far from a finished product.

Like many talented young quarterbacks, Ward has a tendency to abandon the structure of the offense and play hero ball, often to his detriment. If he can tone it down and protect the ball better at the next level, he has legitimate All-Pro upside.

The Jets would have to pay a hefty price to move all the way up to the No. 1 pick, likely parting ways with a future first-round pick and then some. They'll also face competition in the form of their crosstown rivals, the Giants, who appear very interested in trading up.

But if the new Jets regime has a conviction about Ward as a prospect, they might just feel that he's worth the price.

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