Jets' Rooting Guide for 2025 NFL Draft Implications of Week 14
All signs point to the New York Jets looking a lot different in 2025. The 2024 season has been nothing short of a disaster for the franchise. Sitting at 3-9 with an interim head coach running the show was not part of the plan in Aaron Rodgers' second season.
The 2025 offseason could present a great opportunity to pivot from the Rodgers era. They'll be in the market for a new head coach and they have a 34 percent chance to land a top-five pick, per ESPN's latest draft order projection.
Their slot in the draft could have a major impact on the offseason. Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report's latest top 10 mock draft had Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders coming off the board first and second with the Jets taking Jalen Milroe at No. 7.
If the Jets want to have a shot at either Ward or Sanders, they'll need to either trade up (which can get costly) or have some things go their way over the final five weeks of the season.
Assuming the Jets continue to lose, here are three results they should root for this week to help them climb the draft board.
Giants over Saints
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Rooting for the crosstown rival isn't ever fun, but it really is in the best interest of the Jets for the Giants to pick up a few wins over the final five weeks. Not only do the Giants hold a one-game advantage over the Jets for draft order purposes, but it's pretty clear they'll be targeting a quarterback.
The Giants made that clear when they chose to bench and eventually release Daniel Jones. Drew Lock is getting his second start against the New Orleans Saints, but it would be surprising if they opted to go into next season with the former second-round pick as their starter.
Still, it would help the Jets if he puts on a decent showing in his audition to end the season.
The Giants don't have a lot of winnable games left on the schedule. They get the Saints this week, but they follow it up with matchups against the Ravens, Falcons, Colts and Eagles.
Of those teams, only the 4-8 Saints are out of the playoff picture. This could be the Giants best chance remaining to get a win.
The Giants at least still have their coaching staff in place. Brian Daboll may be on the hot seat, but the Saints already fired Dennis Allen. Special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi has taken over in the interim, but the team is 2-1 with him in that post.
Drew Lock leading the Giants to a win could even their record with the Jets' and maybe even convince the Giants to give Lock a shot next season.
Raiders over Buccaneers
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There should be a special preference for the teams with a clear need at quarterback to win. The Raiders certainly qualify. The quarterback battle between Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew II didn't look good on paper and the results on the field may actually be worse.
The Raiders 2-10 through 12 games and are in the thick of the first-overall pick race.
At first glance, they aren't really not a threat to beat a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that is trying to win the NFC South.
But we shouldn't be so quick to count out the Raiders. Aidan O'Connell had 340 yards in his third start of the season and the Raiders came very close to upsetting the Kansas City Chiefs before a botched snap sealed the deal for the Chiefs in the final minutes.
Antonio Pierce could be coaching for his job. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported there's "a lot of buzz that the Las Vegas Raiders could one-and-done Antonio Pierce come January".
Pierce was hired after he rallied the team to finish the season with a 5-4 record in the final nine games of the season. He might have to create a similar strong finish if he wants to keep his job.
The Buccaneers have won back-to-back games to snap a four-game losing streak. But those wins came against the Giants (30-7) and Panthers (26-23). A close call against the Panthers last week should give the Raiders some confidence they can win this week.
Titans over Jaguars
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The AFC South matchup between the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars is the Game of the Week in terms of NFL draft positioning.
The Jaguars are currently slotted in as the No. 1 pick. They are tied with the Raiders and Giants at 2-10, but own the tie-breaker, per Tankathon.
They're also one of a few teams that the are ahead of the Jets in the draft order that they should still be rooting against. The Jaguars are set at the quarterback position with Trevor Lawrence at quarterback.
That being said, they are still a logical fit for Travis Hunter and some of the other top non-quarterback talents in the draft.
On the other hand, the Titans (3-9) are one pick behind the Jets right now based on strength of schedule. They also have the rest of the season to decide whether they will continue with Will Levis as their prospective franchise quarterback.
Levis has continued to struggle with inconsistency throughout this season. He's been on a tear recently with seven touchdowns to two interceptions since Week 10.
If Levis continues to play that way then the Titans should be picking after the Jets and they might not even be in the market for a quarterback.
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