The New York Jets have some pieces to play with on their roster.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell revealed what the top players on the Jets roster are worth if they were to be traded. This is a hypothetical exercise, and the list of players that will be discussed is not actually on the trade block.
Now that has been established, let’s evaluate the different subcategories that exist on the Jets’ roster.
Biggest Trade Pieces on the Team
During this exercise, Barnwell broke up the top Jets players on the roster into three distinct categories.
We’ll start with the players he believes would command a first-round pick and more.
“Edge David Bailey, WR Garrett Wilson. Both players came close to the two first-round pick category for me, but Bailey’s concerns holding up against the run might give teams that want to play with light boxes and ask more out of their edge defenders on early downs some pause. Wilson is coming off an injury-impacted 2025 and hasn’t had that truly great season that would launch him into the top tier of wide receivers (although I’d chalk that up to bad quarterback play),” Barnwell wrote.
Bailey being included on this list makes sense. He was the No. 2 overall pick in the first round of April’s draft. You could even make an argument that his value should be higher than a first-round pick and change.
Are there questions about his run defense? Sure, but he’s supposed to be a prolific pass rusher. Who gets paid more: elite run defenders or star pass rushers?
In the wise words of Mr. Woodcock: “Rhetorical question, Farley! I already know the answer!”
Of course, pass rushers get paid more because they’re considered a more premium player.
Wilson is certainly worth more, but he needs to have that elite season to justify that type of trade package. To reiterate, neither of these players is getting traded because they’re foundational players on both sides of the ball.
The Other Valuable Assets
Three other players merited trade value conversations about each being worth just a first-round pick.
“OT Olu Fashanu, OT Armand Membou, TE Kenyon Sadiq. Both Jets tackles might also be close to landing something more than a first-rounder. Membou might be the better player of the two, but Fashanu improved after an uneven rookie season and was much more consistent in Year 2. Fashanu also plays left tackle for the Jets, making him a more valuable proposition in trades. Playing in front of a more stable QB situation would make both tackles look better, but both Fashanu and Membou would be easy first-round picks again in redrafts of their respective draft classes,” Barnwell wrote.
Offensive linemen are hard to find; young and good ones are even harder to find. Barnwell is seriously underrating the value of young offensive tackles on their rookie contracts.
Membou looks like a star, and Fashanu’s arrow is heading in the right direction. Sadiq was a first-round pick in April’s draft, so his valuation is simpler to comprehend.
Just Missed the List…
These were the honorable mentions of the exercise.
“RB Breece Hall, WR Omar Cooper Jr. Reports last season suggested that the Jets would have dealt Hall for a third-round pick, with the best incoming offer only landing as a fourth-round selection from the Chiefs. Cooper was a late first-round pick, and while he plays a premium position, the Indiana product will need to prove himself at the pro level to establish more confidence in that grade to other organizations,” Barnwell wrote.
Hard to argue with this list. Hall is a running back, and their trade demands for Hall leaked through reporters. They would have taken less than a first-round pick.
The Jets traded back into the first round for Cooper, and it didn’t cost them a future first to pull off that deal.
In exercises like this, the Jets don’t get the benefit of the doubt. The team has stunk for so long, so the talent level of the team gets looked at differently.
Jets Top Trade Assets Revealed Ahead of Training Camp