3 players the NY Jets should trade before the deadline

For that reason, it is difficult to imagine Glenn and Mougey wanting to make any type of move that would significantly hurt the team’s chances of winning games in 2025.

No matter how many victories the Jets earn over their next three games before the deadline, winning seems to be the priority for Glenn and Mougey this year. Whether they’re 3-5 or 0-8, the goal will be to get as many wins as possible to start building a strong foundation.

The Jets did not enter this season with “rebuilding” intentions. Perhaps their poor start to the year may change their course a little, but that doesn’t mean the Jets will start shipping off star players like Quinnen Williams or Sauce Gardner.

If the Jets trade anybody at the deadline, it will be players who would not be missed in the short term and do not have a long-term future with the team. They are unlikely to enter fire sale mode.

On that note, here are three players the Jets could explore dealing to strengthen their long-term outlook without sacrificing their short-term goal of stockpiling wins.

CB Michael Carter II

New York’s veteran slot corner sat out in Week 5 due to a concussion. He remains in concussion protocol and is unlikely to suit up this week after not making the trip to London.

Before his injury, Carter II was off to a sluggish start. He allowed 9-of-13 passes in his direction to be completed for 123 yards. In four straight games, Carter II allowed a completion for 20+ yards.

The Jets have a young pipeline at cornerback behind Carter II. They drafted Azareye’h Thomas in the third round of this year’s draft (although Thomas is primarily an outside corner), and they kept 2024 fifth-round pick Qwan’tez Stiggers from the previous regime.

New York also made a recent trade for 2024 seventh-round pick Jarvis Brownlee, who debuted for the team in Week 5. Brownlee is only 24 years old and has a profile that fits the slot.

Due to his struggles, his contract structure, and the plethora of young options behind him, Carter II projects as a cut candidate this offseason. The Jets can cut him to clear $4.1 million in cap space (with $8.2 million in dead money). If they cut him with a post-June 1 designation, they would save $8.9 million in cap space while spreading the dead money over two years.

Carter II offers appealing upside as a trade target for teams looking to boost their secondary. Still only 26 years old with two years of control left on his contract, Carter II brings a high ceiling despite his recent struggles. Just two years ago, he was one of the league’s best slot defenders, allowing just 258 yards in 15 games (17.2 per game).

A win-now team in desperate need of pass-defending help, like Baltimore or Dallas, could be willing to swap late picks for Carter II. The Jets would boost their draft resources and open more snaps for their young cornerbacks by dealing a player who hasn’t played well and will likely be cut anyway. It’s the perfect move to brighten the future without sacrificing wins in the present.

WR Josh Reynolds

The Jets signed Josh Reynolds to a fully guaranteed one-year, $2.75 million contract this offseason. His $2.75 million cap hit ranks 75th among wide receivers, which indicates the league views him as a starting receiver in 11 personnel.

Reynolds has started in 44 of his 68 appearances since 2020. Over that span, he has been an efficient complementary receiver, catching 172 of 277 targets (62.1%) for 2,295 yards (13.3 yards per reception) and 13 touchdowns.

The vet was particularly successful with the 2023 Lions, where he caught 40 of 64 targets (62.5%) for 608 yards (15.2 yards per reception) and five touchdowns as Detroit’s No. 2 wide receiver. Reynolds also displayed his value as a big-bodied blocker in Detroit’s run-first offense.

Multiple injuries prevented Reynolds from making an impact for the Broncos and Jaguars in 2024. This season with the Jets, Reynolds has missed two more games due to injury. When healthy, he’s played 79% of the Jets’ offensive snaps, but his impact has been minimal due to the makeup of New York’s offense.

The Jets are one of the run-heaviest teams in the NFL, and when they do throw the ball, there are usually only two possible targets: Garrett Wilson or a checkdown.

Wilson is responsible for a shocking 65% of the Jets’ wide receiver targets (48 of 74). Overall, the second and third targets on the team are tight end Mason Taylor (28 targets) and running back Breece Hall (24 targets), who are both averaging under 9.0 yards per reception as they gobble up checkdowns when Wilson isn’t targeted.

Reynolds is actually the Jets’ No. 2 wide receiver in targets, but that’s with a measly nine of them. Simply put, the Jets’ run-heavy offense with a slow-processing quarterback will almost never throw the ball to a receiver like Reynolds.

It makes him an expendable player for the Jets. But another team could view Reynolds as a valuable piece in their offense. He’s a quality blocker, and just two years ago, he dropped over 600 yards and five touchdowns as the secondary wideout in an elite offense.

The Jets probably can’t get much for Reynolds, but a late-round pick swap would be worthwhile in exchange for a veteran on an expiring contract who has caught five passes this season.

Remember, between their trades for Jowon Briggs, Harrison Phillips, and Jarvis Brownlee, the Jets have already moved down in future drafts through a plethora of pick swaps, so it would be valuable to balance those deals out and start moving back up the board.

In addition, trading Reynolds could open more snaps for fourth-round rookie Arian Smith, who easily has the second-highest ceiling among the receivers on New York’s roster. Smith clearly has a ways to go in terms of fundamentals, and he doesn’t offer the same blocking frame that Reynolds does, but at 0-5, the Jets’ short-term outlook would benefit from prioritizing players with higher ceilings.

LB Quincy Williams

Quincy Williams has been on track to leave the Jets for a while now.

After re-signing him to a three-year, $18 million deal following the 2022 season, Williams outplayed his contract with an All-Pro season in 2023, but the Jets never rewarded him with a new deal. Later on, they went out and re-signed the younger Jamien Sherwood to a three-year, $45 million ahead of the 2025 season (which has backfired so far).

Williams, 29, is due to hit free agency in 2026. With Sherwood already locked up, the Jets are unlikely to pay another player at a non-premium position, especially with Williams set to turn 30 next year.

As a player whose game is built on athleticism, Williams does not project as a player who will perform well into his thirties. That may be why the Jets’ previous regime never extended him beyond his current deal.

Williams’ play this season has only further strengthened the Jets’ case to let him walk. He posted a missed tackle rate of 23.5% through three games, on track to be his highest since his 2020 season in Jacksonville.

Ahead of Week 4, the Jets placed Williams on injured reserve with a shoulder ailment. It is not expected to keep him out much longer beyond the minimum timetable of four weeks, though, which means he could return for the Jets’ final game before the trade deadline (Week 8 at Cincinnati).

Similar to Carter II, Williams could be attractive to a win-now team that is willing to risk the future to raise its short-term defensive ceiling. Despite Williams’ recent woes, a team with brutal linebacker play could view it as a worthwhile gamble to see if he can turn things around in their scheme and give them a half-season of his former All-Pro play (or at least something close to it).

Indianapolis, Dallas, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, and Buffalo are some candidates to watch. They each have .500+ records despite linebacker units that rank among some of the league’s worst thus far.

Like at cornerback and wide receiver, the Jets have young players ready to step up behind Williams. Fifth-round rookie Francisco Mauigoa has already gotten his first two career starts since Williams’ injury. Mauigoa has struggled mightily, as is to be expected for a fifth-round rookie, but he has a chance to improve as he gains experience, and it’s not as if Williams was doing much better, anyway.

Look for the Jets to explore trades for players like Carter II, Reynolds, and Williams. These players are unlikely to return in 2026, have not helped the Jets win games this year, and have rookie draft picks waiting behind them on the depth chart.