Meet the NY Jets’ dream 2026 free agency haul

Playing with Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall is a luxury for any quarterback, while the Jets’ offensive line additions in this plan make New York a place where Murray will feel good about his protection.

With a sweetener to Murray’s 2026 earnings along with two big additions to the offensive line, the Jets might be able to convince him to pivot away from a team like Minnesota to the sneakily impressive supporting cast that awaits in New York.

CB Taron Johnson

• Contract: 1 year, $8 million ($8 million guaranteed)
• 2026 cap hit: $4 million
• Cap space remaining: $40.7 million

Recently released by the Bills, veteran slot corner Taron Johnson can still cover at a high level, and he’s appealing to New York because of his familiarity with a division rival.

Johnson’s previous contract averaged $10.3 million per year, and he signed that deal in the heart of his prime. Given that he was just released from this contract, an $8 million deal for one year seems generous enough to lure Johnson to New York despite the Jets’ non-contender status.

The Jets have to pay a tax to lure free agents in—it is what it is.

LB Alex Anzalone

• Contract: 1 year, $7 million ($7 million guaranteed)
• 2026 cap hit: $3.5 million
• Cap space remaining: $37.2 million

Alex Anzalone spent the first eight years of his career alongside Aaron Glenn in New Orleans and Detroit. The veteran linebacker is still a solid starter, and he’s the perfect leader to help Glenn integrate his scheme with a young team.

S Andrew Wingard

• Contract: 1 year, $6 million ($6 million guaranteed)
• 2026 cap hit: $3 million
• Cap space remaining: $34.2 million

Aaron Glenn’s scheme demands two starting safeties with distinct skill sets: a box enforcer and a rangy deep safety.

Andrew Wingard can fill the latter role. In his Jaguars career, Wingard performed well when given the opportunity to play most of his snaps as a deep safety.

His overall numbers weren’t great last year, which will lower his market value, but Wingard can thrive in a Jets scheme that lets him spend most of his time as a deep safety, allowing the Jets to get some great bang for their buck.

S Jabrill Peppers

• Contract: 1 year, $3 million ($3 million guaranteed)
• 2026 cap hit: $1.5 million
• Cap space remaining: $32.7 million

Filling the box safety role in Glenn’s scheme is Jabrill Peppers. The veteran has almost transitioned to a quasi-linebacker in the latter stages of his career, and he will come on the cheap after playing a minimal role for Pittsburgh in 2025, but he is exactly what Glenn needs.

Peppers is still an excellent run defender and tackler, and that’s what the Jets need out of their strong safety.

With the Wingard-Peppers duo, the Jets find a solid short-term solution for a non-premium defensive position without breaking the bank. These players’ compatibility within the Jets’ scheme should allow them to out-produce their salaries. This kind of harmony between the front office and coaching staff is what successful teams are built upon.

So, while the Jets could easily fill the safety position by splurging on a star like Bryan Cook (which I actually predict that they will do), I would advise them to take the cheaper route, targeting scheme fits like Wingard and Peppers who can give them sufficient production at a non-premium position while allowing the team to allocate its premium resources toward more impactful position groups, like the offensive and defensive lines.

WR Jahan Dotson

• Contract: 1 year, $2.5 million ($2.5 million guaranteed)
• 2026 cap hit: $2.5 million
• Cap space remaining: $30.2 million

The 2022 first-round pick will still be only 26 years old as he enters his fourth season. Jahan Dotson did not get much of an opportunity to showcase himself in Philadelphia over the last two seasons, as he was buried behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, but there were flashes.

This is a low-cost dice-roll on potential at the wide receiver position.

LB Micah McFadden

• Contract: 1 year, $2 million ($2 million guaranteed)
• 2026 cap hit: $2 million
• Cap space remaining: $28.2 million

The Jets need speed in the back end of their defense to keep up in a division where they have to play nearly a quarter of their games against Josh Allen and Drake Maye.

Micah McFadden can provide that speed at a low cost. He’ll be cheap after missing nearly all of 2025 with an ankle injury (along with generally being a middling overall player before that), but McFadden is a young linebacker (26) with top-tier athleticism. He had a 9.46 Relative Athletic Score coming out of Indiana in 2022.

That has translated to the field at the NFL level. As a 14-game starter for the Giants in 2024, McFadden ranked sixth among linebackers with 15 “hustle stops” (tackles in which the player traveled at least 20 yards after the snap).

Taking a flier on McFadden after a significant injury makes a lot of sense for the Jets, given their need at the linebacker position and their general need for speed across the entire defense.

Re-signings

G John Simpson

• Contract: 1 year, $6 million ($6 million guaranteed)
• 2026 cap hit: $3 million
• Cap space remaining: $25.2 million

Simpson returns as the primary backup guard and a valuable veteran leader for the Jets’ offensive line.

K Nick Folk

• Contract: 1 year, $4.5 million ($4.5 million guaranteed)
• 2026 cap hit: $2.5 million
• Cap space remaining: $22.7 million

Ponying up for Nick Folk should be a no-brainer after the season he had in 2025. Ride him until the wheels fall off.

LB Mykal Walker

• Contract: 1 year, $2.2 million ($1.1 million guaranteed)
• 2026 cap hit: $1.1 million
• Cap space remaining: $21.6 million

Mykal Walker was a core piece of the Jets’ elite special teams unit and an underrated standout on defense down the stretch.

FB/TE Andrew Beck

• Contract: 1 year, $1.5 million ($1.5 million guaranteed)
• 2026 cap hit: $1.5 million
• Cap space remaining: $20.1 million

Save for the kicker, punter, and returners, Andrew Beck was arguably the most important player for the Jets’ elite special teams last season. Bringing him back is a must if the Jets want to maximize their chances of replicating their special teams success.

The problem is that Frank Reich never used fullbacks in his offense across his most recent NFL seasons, complicating Beck’s potential return. However, Beck entered the NFL as a tight end, and he occasionally lined up there for the Jets last season, so he can be used as the TE3 or TE4 to justify his roster spot.

Complete haul

These signings leave the Jets with $20.1 million in cap space, which comfortably clears the $16 million they are expected to need to sign their 2026 draft class, per Over The Cap.

What do we think? Should Darren Mougey copy this plan verbatim? Or should I be banished to Mars for suggesting such absurd signings?