Is there a chance that the New York Jets could trade up for the first overall pick?
The team’s general manager confronted that possibility while speaking to reporters at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine.
On Tuesday, Jets GM Darren Mougey was asked about the team’s conversations with the Las Vegas Raiders about a potential trade-up into the No. 1 slot of the 2026 draft.
Mougey’s answer confirms what everyone in the NFL world already expected.
“I don’t think that’s happening,” said Mougey, per Jets X-Factor’s Nick Faria, who was in attendance in Indianapolis.
At the podium, Mougey is generally as much of a non-answerer as any coach or general manager you will hear in the NFL, so it is quite telling when he gives a blunt answer like that.
Ever since the Raiders secured the first overall pick, they have been heavily expected to stay put and select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Mougey’s blunt answer should squash the final ounce of possibility that Las Vegas could shock the world by trading out of the top slot instead of taking Mendoza.
It leaves the Jets scrambling for answers at the quarterback position. Between free agency, the trade market, and the draft class, Mendoza is arguably the only option with legitimate franchise quarterback potential. That’s not to say he is a perfect prospect, or even as safe as most first-overall picks, but the Heisman Trophy winner offers enough potential that the Jets would take him in a heartbeat if they could.
Instead, the Jets will have to pick between a myriad of less enticing options, whether it’s a veteran stopgap like Kirk Cousins (whose impending release was just confirmed by the Falcons), a risky free agent like Malik Willis, or a lower-rated draft prospect.
Combine press conferences don’t often teach us much, as NFL teams keep their offseason plans close to the vest. However, Jets fans did learn two things in today’s press conference: Aaron Glenn will officially be calling defensive plays, and Fernando Mendoza has no chance of becoming a New York Jet.
