New York Jets Move Up in NFL Draft Order After Loss to Seahawks

The New York Jets now have a slightly better draft position after the events of Week 13, which include their loss to Seattle.

Nov 17, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich talks to referee Tra Blake (3) during the first quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

When a team fires its head coach and general manager in-season, the thought is the season is basically over and it’s time to start thinking about next year’s draft.

To that end, the New York Jets (3-9) had a good week.

The Jets lost to the Seattle Seahawks, 26-21, on Sunday. By the time the Denver Broncos beat the Cleveland Browns on Monday night, the Jets slid up one spot from No. 7 to No. 6 in the 2025 NFL draft order, per Tankathon.

The draft selection could be of enormous consequence for New York, depending upon where they land. Along with new leadership, there is a belief that the Jets will not bring back quarterback Aaron Rodgers — or that he won’t come back — for 2025.

Either way, with veteran Tyrod Taylor as the backup and with rookie Jordan Travis still recovering from his gruesome leg injury of a year ago while at Florida State, New York has no long-term plan at the position.

A high piece could yield the possibility of the Jets selecting a quarterback like Miami’s Cam Ward or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, two players many draft experts expect to go in the Top 5 of next April’s draft.

If the draft were held this week, the Jacksonville Jaguars would hold the No. 1 overall selection, followed by the Las Vegas Raiders, the New York Giants, the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers.

The Raiders, the Giants and the Panthers all look quarterback-needy going into the offseason, though the Panthers have two years invested in 2023 first-round pick Bryce Young, who has shown some progress after he was benched earlier this season.

The Jets may need to move up to acquire a quarterback and the next five weeks will tell whether that happens or not.

New York plays Miami this week. The following week the Jets face the Jaguars in Jacksonville. The Jaguars are one of three two-win teams left in the NFL, along with the Raiders and the Giants.

If one is interested in “tanking,” the Jets would help themselves immensely by losing to Miami this Sunday and to Jacksonville next Sunday.  

New York’s remaining games are against the Los Angeles Rams, the Buffalo Bills and the Dolphins. All three have better records than the Jets.

After that the Jets will know their draft selection and can begin the search process for new leadership in the front office and on the field.