Jets may have already made final Ty Simpson decision

A recent report suggested that New York Jets coaches "loved" meeting with Ty Simpson this offseason, so much so that the club could consider selecting the Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback with the 16th or 33rd overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. 

It seems that love may not run quite as deep as some think. 

Are Jets preparing to pass on Ty Simpson?

"Wide receiver could be in play with the 16th pick," Jets reporter Rich Cimini said about the club on Wednesday. "Ideally, they'd like to find a bigger receiver to pair with star Garrett Wilson (6-feet)." 

Specifically, Cimini mentioned Louisville's Chris Bell, Ohio State's Carnell Tate and Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson as receivers the Jets could target. The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner thinks Tate will be a top-eight pick, but either Bell or Tyson could be an option for the Jets. 

Cimini suggested that the Jets won't draft a quarterback until the fourth round. 

"Keep an eye on Drew Allar (Penn State), who recently had a private workout at the Jets' facility," Cimini added. "He's a developmental prospect with great size (6-foot-5, 228 pounds) and arm strength." 

Are NFL people hearing the Jets are out on Ty Simpson?

ESPN's Ben Solak is among those who think the Arizona Cardinals will leapfrog the Jets in the draft order by making a trade so that the Cardinals can grab Simpson with the 31st overall pick. Jordan Reid of ESPN was asked what he had heard about the Jets' draft plans. 

"With three picks inside the top 33, the Jets will take a true best-player-available approach, but don't be surprised if they end Round 1 with three picks...using none of them on a QB," Reid wrote. "The Jets are expected to be aggressive in boosting their wide receiver room, and Omar Cooper Jr. (Indiana) is one player they are reported to be extremely high on. They view him as an ideal complementary WR2 to Garrett Wilson."

Baumgardner recently predicted that Cooper will be on the board when the Jets are called to spend the draft's 33rd pick. It sounds like Jets head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey are not all that keen on using a high-value draft pick to acquire Simpson, arguably the most polarizing quarterback in this year's class.