Beat writer addresses if Jets, Jaxson Dart rumors are a 'smokescreen'

The Athletic's Mike Sando raised eyebrows when he shared a mock draft on March 5 that suggested some NFL executives believe the New York Jets will select Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart via the seventh pick of the 2025 draft. 

Jets beat writer Antwan Staley of the New York Daily News addressed Friday if rumors linking Gang Green with Dart are "just a smokescreen to entice other teams to trade up" for the prospect widely viewed as the third-best signal-caller in his draft class. 

"I wouldn’t be surprised if the Jets selected Dart seventh overall," Staley wrote. "There were rumors during the NFL Combine that the organization was enamored with Dart and that they still need a long-term solution at quarterback." 

Staley pointed out that the Jets can escape the two-year, $40M deal with $30M guaranteed they gave Justin Fields in free agency as soon as next offseason. Numerous NFL community members are skeptical that Fields will become a franchise quarterback after he failed to cement himself as a first-choice starter during stints with the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Meanwhile, The Athletic's Ted Nguyen is among those who think Dart needs to "sit, learn a playbook and clean up his footwork" as a backup for a QB1 such as Fields. 

It seems likely that Miami's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders will be the first two quarterbacks drafted on April 24. Some believe the Cleveland Browns will take Sanders as the second overall choice, assuming Ward is off the board, but others think Sanders could slide to the Jets. 

"Some people around the organization like his skill set and believe Dart is a first-round talent," Staley added about the Jets. 

The New York Giants (pick No. 3), New Orleans Saints (pick No. 9), Seattle Seahawks (No. 18), Steelers (No. 21) and Los Angeles Rams (No. 26) are among the potential landing spots for Dart, depending on when Sanders is taken. If the Jets are enamored with Dart, hoping to trade back into the first round to get him may not be a risk worth taking.