Jets draft rumors: 'Chances are' New York waits to draft QB until Day 3
The New York Jets moved on from Aaron Rodgers and replaced him with free-agent signing Justin Fields during the 2025 NFL offseason.
While that swap represented a significant change for the Jets, the team may not yet be done tinkering with its quarterback room.
ESPN's Rich Cimini noted the Jets may select a young quarterback to develop behind Fields and Tyrod Taylor while competing with 2024 fifth-round draft pick Jordan Travis. He also detailed the Jets aren't likely to spend the No. 7 selection on a passer after giving Fields $30 million in guarantees.
So, when might the Jets take a quarterback? New York's "stealth approach," during which it hasn't met with many signal-callers ahead of the 2025 NFL draft, has led Cimini to one conclusion.
"Chances are it will happen on Day 3," Cimini reports.
Here's a look at who the Jets' Day 3 quarterback options could be if they decide to wait to draft a developmental passer.
New York Jets QB options
Will Howard, Ohio State
Howard was a steady, accurate and tough quarterback who led Ohio State to a national title in his lone season at the school. He has good functional mobility and completed 73% of his passes for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions during his final college season.
Howard profiles as a strong game manager at the NFL level and would quickly become a high-quality backup behind Fields. If he can continue to throw with accuracy, he could develop into a solid starting quarterback.
Kyle McCord, Syracuse
McCord may go on Day 3 thanks to his strong arm and gunslinger mentality. Those traits can occasionally get him in trouble with turnovers, but his success in Syracuse's pro-style offense should allow him to transition to the NFL and carve out a role quickly.
McCord completed 66% of his passes for 4,779 yards, 34 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in his lone season with the Orange. He's more of a pure pocket passer than Howard but has a ceiling/floor combination similar to his replacement at Ohio State.
Quinn Ewers, Texas
Ewers led Texas to back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances and demonstrated good poise within the pocket. He doesn't always drive the ball with authority, but he is a great touch passer who showed good between-the-numbers accuracy during his college career.
Questions exist about Ewers' arm strength given his penchant for touch passing, so that could drop him into the early Day 3 range. At that point, the Jets could sell themselves on the former five-star recruit's combination of experience and upside.
Riley Leonard, Notre Dame
If the Jets want a Day 3 quarterback with a similar running style to Fields, Leonard would be a strong option. The Notre Dame product is a tough downhill runner and relied heavily on his legs to carry the Fighting Irish to a national championship game appearance.
Leonard showed good short accuracy during his college career, but it isn't clear whether he has the arm talent needed to be a consistent downfield playmaker.
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
Gabriel enjoyed a productive college career. He played five seasons at three schools – UCF, Oklahoma and Oregon – and helped lead the Ducks to the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 College Football Playoff. He also tied Case Keenum for the FBS passing touchdown with 155 during his career.
The cons with Gabriel? He's just 5-11, 205 pounds and doesn't have any elite traits. That may relegate the lefty to pure backup detail at the NFL level.
Kurtis Rourke, Indiana
Like Gabriel, Rourke is an experienced college quarterback without stand-out skills. That said, he thrived as a game manager at Indiana, completing 69.4% of his passes for 3,042 yards, 29 touchdowns and just five interceptions.
Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey might like Rourke's combination of size and accuracy enough to take a shot on him late in the 2025 NFL draft.