The dream is over.
The Atlanta Falcons capped off Week 17 with a 27-24 upset win over the Los Angeles Rams. That result officially eliminated the New York Jets’ chances of landing the No. 1 overall pick, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.
Instead, that top pick will belong to either the Las Vegas Raiders or the New York Giants. Vegas has the “strong inside track to pick 1,” Yates posted.
It will belong to either the Raiders or the Giants, with Las Vegas having a strong inside track to pick 1.
NFL Draft Trade up Possibilities According to an Insider
The green and white can no longer organically land the No. 1 overall pick. Now the focus shifts to rooting interest for Jets fans.
ESPN NFL Insider Dan Graziano was asked to rate on a scale of 1 to 10 how likely it would be if the Raiders landed the No. 1 overall pick, if they’d trade it?
“1. All of these grades will be based on whether the team likes the top QB prospect — Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza or whomever else it could become — enough to justify taking him No. 1. The Raiders desperately need a real, long-term solution at quarterback and would be foolish to let an opportunity to draft one slip past them,” Graziano explained.
Graziano was asked that same question for the Giants.
“8. Similar to what I said about the Titans, except that the Giants could have a new coach and new GM if Joe Schoen is replaced. And if that new leadership has concerns about quarterback Jaxson Dart’s durability and felt 100 percent convinced on a QB prospect in this class, maybe they make that move. But again, it would be a major surprise from an organization that has reason to believe in last spring’s first-round selection,” Graziano wrote.
What Jets Fans Should Be Rooting for in Week 18
So, in other words, based on Graziano’s opinion, Las Vegas wouldn’t be interested in a potential trade down at all. While the Giants would strongly consider it based on them already having a franchise quarterback.
So, Jets fans out in the audience, your rooting guide is very simple.
You want the Raiders at home to upset the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 18. Las Vegas opened as a six-point underdog at home against the Chiefs, per Vegas Insider.
You also need the Giants at home to lose to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18. The line in that game started much closer; the Cowboys were just a 1.5-point opening favorite, but that line has since ballooned to 5.5 points, per Vegas Insider.
If those two results happen, the Giants would end up with the No. 1 overall pick.
According to Tankathon, the Giants have the strength of schedule advantage (.531) over the Raiders (.542). That will only matter if the two teams finish with the same record.
Right now, the Raiders are 2-14 and can clinch the top pick in the 2026 NFL draft with a loss to the Chiefs. The Giants, after beating the Raiders in Week 17, have a 3-13 record.
Jets Fans… I’m Here for You
*spreads arms*
Bring it in, Jets fans. I feel for you. It sucks, and it isn’t fair.
You are in the middle of one of the worst seasons in franchise history. If your favorite team loses in Week 18 to the Buffalo Bills, very likely, that will seal your fate in history.
The Jets have only lost 14 or more games in a single season twice. It happened in 2020, Adam Gase’s final season; 2-14. It also happened in 1996, Rich Kotite’s final year, and in that season, the Jets did end up with the No. 1 overall pick after a 1-15 season.
The 2025 Jets would join that infamous group with a loss on Sunday.
Losing sucks, but fans would have felt a whole lot better if that resulted in the top pick. Sorry to break it to you, but that won’t be happening. Well, not organically anyway.
The green and white are in this vicious cycle because they can’t get the quarterback position right. That could all change if the Giants land the top pick. The Jets could strike a trade with their cross-town rivals to move up and get the QB of their dreams.
That is a lot less likely if the Raiders have the pick.
Jets Receive Devastating News After Falcons Upset Win Over Rams