The Jet Press Podcast: Jets QB dilemma, 2026 mock scenarios, Philip Rivers draft

In the latest episode of The Jet Press Podcast, Justin Fried and Mike Luciano discuss the New York Jets' quarterback dilemma, potential 2026 quarterback scenarios, the return of the Gang Green Stat Machine, and a Philip Rivers-inspired draft of retired Jets legends.

The show started with a discussion about the Jets' mess of a quarterback situation entering their Week 15 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Tyrod Taylor and Justin Fields each missed another day of practice on Thursday, setting up Brady Cook for his first career start this week.

Justin and Mike did their best to make sense of the Jets' quarterback situation, discussing whether Cook will remain the starter once Fields and/or Taylor return from injury. As of now, he seems primed to start on Sunday.

We then broke down a number of different Jets quarterback scenarios for the 2026 season, including one that saw the team trade up to the No. 1 overall pick to land Fernando Mendoza in a steal of a deal.

How much would we be willing to give up to trade up for Mendoza? What about Dante Moore? Is there even a scenario where the Jets target a player like USC's Jayden Maiava with one of their first-round selections? This was a fun conversation.

That transitioned into the return of the Gang Green Stat Machine (GGSM), as Justin and Mike discussed the Jets' special-teams dominance, Will McDonald's disappointing season, and the unlikely emergence of Jowon Briggs as one of the best players on the roster.

The latter portion of the show was dedicated to a Philip Rivers-inspired draft of retired Jets players we'd love to see return. From Darrelle Revis to Brandon Marshall to Vinny Testaverde to Bilal Powell, Justin and Mike drafted their five-player teams.

Finally, we briefly broke down this Sunday's game against the Jaguars. Neither Justin nor Mike was optimistic about a Jets victory, but just how bad could it get if Cook is forced to start? The answer is pretty bad.

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