Kirk Cousins?

Edition #1021: Yesterday I mentioned the name Kirk Cousins when talking about 2026, is that a real possibility?

Good morning ☕

Here’s what I’m looking for from the Jets offense in 2026…competency.

That’s it. We’ve watched so many poor offences over the year, I’d take one that ranked average to just below average in the NFL. A unit ranked 15th-20th.

Of course in an ideal world you want something more, but then it’s the 2nd of February and you don’t have a starting QB, an offensive coordinator, a QB coach or many positional coaches…you have to temper the expectations.

At first I was very much against the idea of Kirk Cousins, but the more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve come around to the idea, so today we’re going to explore that possibility.

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NEWS & NOTES

• Matt Miller of ESPN released a two-round post-Senior Bowl mock draft:

  • Arvell Reese - EDGE - Jets fans will be screaming for a quarterback at this pick, but there isn’t a passer worthy of this selection with Mendoza off the board. Instead of reaching for Alabama’s Ty Simpson, the Jets’ best option is waiting on a quarterback until later in the draft or even 2027, when they have three first-round picks. What’s the move? After ranking 31st in sacks this season (26), New York needs a primary pass rusher who will scare offenses. Even though the previous regime spent first-round picks on Jermaine Johnson (2022) and Will McDonald IV (2023), the Jets need a better outside pass rush.

    Reese split time at linebacker and edge rusher. He is built in the Micah Parsons/Abdul Carter mold, with elite speed and powerful hands off the edge and high potential once he settles in as a full-time edge rusher.

  • Makai Lemon - WR - We’re still not reaching for a quarterback, instead going with a “best player available” pick with one of my favorite players in the class. Lemon caught 79 passes with only one drop on 110 targets last season, scoring 11 touchdowns and averaging almost 100 yards per game. Lemon doesn’t have elite measurables at 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, but he’s similar to Amon-Ra St. Brown in his toughness and ability to make plays across the middle and on underneath routes. The Jets have a talented young receiver in Garrett Wilson but need to build out the wide receiver room around him. With two picks coming in Round 2, the Jets have the draft capital to address more needs with high picks.

  • Kayden McDonald - DT - The Jets traded away Quinnen Williams at the trade deadline, but there was a discussion about improving the run defense before that move. McDonald projects as a starter-level nose tackle or 1-technique with the power to keep the linebackers behind him clean and run lanes stuffed.

  • Ty Simpson - QB - Simpson doesn’t have a Round 1 grade on my board, and I couldn’t find a single team that would give him one during conversations at the Senior Bowl. But with four picks in the first two rounds, the Jets can afford to roll the dice on him as a second-rounder with starter upside. Simpson’s lack of size and arm strength could ultimately push him down the board, but his poise and processing skills are NFL-level.

• According to Tony Pauline, Bart Scott is interested in getting into coaching and would welcome a role with the Jets: “Scott’s representative, Harold Lewis, told me the former Pro Bowl linebacker wants to get into coaching and help his former team, the New York Jets, turn the franchise around. Scott himself said that he would love to coach for the Jets or Ravens, and he’s eager to pass on his intellectual knowledge of the game to younger players. Scott made the point that former players such as Mike Vrabel and DeMeco Ryans have had great success coaching in the league because they relate to players and have experience with situations players face daily,”

• Ian Rapoport reported yesterday that Jets QB Justin Fields was asked to participate in the Pro Bowl, but declined. The Pro Bowl is a bit of a joke at this point.

• The Jets revealed that they had completed second interviews with Roman and Bevell for the vacant OC position. No mention of Frank Reich.

• According to Daniel Jeremiah, there was buzz at the Senior Bowl that the Jets would attempt to trade up to the #1 pick for Mendoza, although he reiterated on the Rich Eisen show that the Raiders are not moving that pick: “Yeah, I mean, this is just kind of the buzz down here. I’m not saying the Jets would trade all of their picks that they have accumulated, but they’re this close to being able to get a guy that they would try and make an effort to do that, but it would be a moot point because [the Raiders] are not going to move off of it. The Raiders seem to be pretty in love with Fernando Mendoza,” Jeremiah explained on The Rich Eisen Show.

• Could the Jets be targeting Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson, it would be a wise decision according to CBS Sports: “Aaron Glenn knows he needs better cornerback play, and Watson — who hasn’t allowed any touchdowns either of the past two seasons — fits the bill perfectly as a big outside corner,”

• In that same article they also linked the Jets with Kenneth Walker III with Breece Hall going in the opposite direction.

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KIRK COUSINS

I feel as though the name Kirk Cousins has been swirling around the Jets for a while. We were linked to him before he signed in Atlanta, we were linked with him last off-season and we were linked with him any time his contract was running down in Minnesota.

Whether there was any fire to that smoke us unknown, but here we are again. We need a QB, Kirk Cousins is likely to be available, will he finally call NY home?

I will say right from the start that it’s hard to hitch your tent to a QB when you don’t know who the OC will be. You don’t know the style, the system, or the traits that are required to make it all work. But based on the names being mentioned as front-runners for the Jets, I feel relatively confident in stating Cousins would make a lot of sense for the Jets.