The Ty Simpson-to-New York hype continues to build.

Amidst a recent wave of speculation that the Alabama quarterback may be ranked higher than Fernando Mendoza by some teams, the New York Jets have officially zeroed in on the polarizing signal-caller for due diligence. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Jets are hosting Simpson for a prviate workout.

The Jets own two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL draft, slotted at No. 2 and No. 16 overall.

Simpson is not expected to be in consideration for the second overall pick. However, he seems to be gaining steam as an option at No. 16. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. recently mocked Simpson to New York in that slot, while NFL IQ has Simpson among the top five prospects with the highest odds of being drafted by the Jets at any slot, per the league’s official website.

The 23-year-old played four seasons for the Crimson Tide, although he only started games in his 2025 senior season. He comes to the NFL with only 15 Division I starts under his belt, a level of inexperience that has generally been a red flag for first-round quarterback prospects.

Across those 15 starts, Simpson completed 64.5% of his passes for 3,567 yards (7.5 yards per attempt), 28 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He added two rushing touchdowns.

Simpson got off to a red-hot start in 2025, building a reel of film so impressive that he found himself in a neck-and-neck race with Fernando Mendoza for the first overall pick in 2026. Through five games, Simpson had 15 total touchdowns to one turnover.

However, Simpson began declining around mid-season. Part of it was due to nagging injuries and an iffy supporting cast at Alabama, but Simpson also displayed flaws that dropped him out of the conversation for the first overall pick.

New York’s private visit with Simpson does not necessarily indicate that the team plans to aggressively pursue him in the draft. Still, they are clearly attempting to gain as much intel as possible on the highest-ranked quarterback prospect that will be available to them in the 2026 draft, assuming Mendoza is taken first overall by Las Vegas.

How Simpson fares in his private meeting with New York’s brass could make or break his chances of being drafted by the Jets in the first round.