The good, bad, and unknown of Jets’ newest potential QB target

Buckle up, New York Jets fans. The dream might be getting closer to reality.

For some fans, at least. For others, it’s a nightmare.

New York is scheduled to hold an in-person visit with Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson for a private workout. Simpson is widely considered the second-best quarterback of the 2026 draft class, but his exact projection is polarizing; some consider him a first-round prospect, others don’t think he’s close.

To some Jets fans, a potential draft selection of Simpson would be a waste for the struggling organization. The 2027 draft class is considered a better group than the 2026 edition, and New York has many other needs beyond a quarterback project.

Friday’s workout raises three thoughts about a potential partnership between Simpson and the Jets: some good, some bad, and some uncertain.

A Simpson-Jets partnership

The Jets have added Geno Smith as their bridge starter, but they still need to find their quarterback of the future—someone who would be feared across the league and relied on for at least a decade to come.

If the Jets were to draft Simpson in the first round, they would show their belief in his ability to reach that mark.

Would they be right in doing so, though? That’s where the questions come in.

The Good

There are reasons why teams like the Jets might watch Simpson’s tape and see a first-round talent. Among the top prospects in the current class, Simpson’s pocket presence appears to be the best of the group.

He’s also quite mobile, showing the capability to make things happen when defenses break down on a first read.

Simpson’s numbers as a starter were outstanding early in the 2025 season. Through five games, he had 15 total touchdowns to one turnover. His late-season struggles could easily be explained by nagging injuries and poor support from his team.

This Alabama team was not the one that college football fans are used to seeing. Receivers dropped plenty of passes, including young phenom Ryan Williams, whose 10 drops led Power Four wideouts, per Pro Football Focus.

Add in a weak run game—Alabama’s 3.4 yards per carry ranked 125th out of 136 FBS teams—and it can easily be argued that the players around Simpson had more to do with his struggles than Simpson himself.

In the right situation, Simpson could be much better at the NFL level.

The Bad

The downside to Simpson is that while there was plenty of good film in his first year as a starter, there were also many unquestionably bad moments. He doesn’t have the biggest arm and tends to hold onto the ball too long, a death sentence for NFL quarterbacks.

More importantly, though, Simpson has just 15 starts over his collegiate career, which is a red flag. Only Cam Newton, a former Heisman Trophy winner and league MVP, has enjoyed a sliver of NFL success with as few starts over the last 16 years.

Since 2015, the only first-round quarterbacks with fewer than 15 college starts were Mitchell Trubisky, Anthony Richardson, and Dwayne Haskins.

If the Jets are going to draft Simpson, they will most certainly need to allow him to sit on the bench and watch expected starter Geno Smith work for the majority of the upcoming season.

Even then, it may not be enough.

The prevailing belief around the NFL is that if a team really likes a quarterback, they should ignore all other rating systems and go and get him.

But in the case of Simpson, he may not be the kind of prospect teams would fall in love with.

New York needs something more.

The Unknown

If the Jets were to draft Simpson within the first two rounds of the 2026 draft, there would be plenty of lingering questions.

First, Simpson’s lack of college experience means it would be smart for the team to allow him to sit behind Smith for the upcoming season. If New York struggles, it opens the door for the team to draft another signal-caller in 2027.

Two quarterbacks drafted within the first two rounds of back-to-back drafts is not considered good roster management.

But what happens if Simpson plays well late in the year? Could it convince the team to bypass a quarterback altogether in 2027?

By drafting a quarterback who isn’t ready to start right away, teams open themselves to more questions than answers. New York, in this case, would be banking on Simpson’s upside to potentially save them.

The Jets’ interest in Simpson is real. If it weren’t, they wouldn’t bring him in for a private workout.

While there are objectively plenty of positive signs from the young signal-caller, his selections would raise a plethora of challenging questions for an organization that does not need any more of those—questions that will not be answered by one workout.