The first night of the 2026 NFL draft will be a busy one for the New York Jets. They own two picks within the first 16 overall selections.

But that doesn’t mean they’ll stay in either spot.

New York is considered a likely trade partner to move up or back in the draft with one of their selections. They could move back from the second overall pick or even trade up with the 16th overall selection.

Gang Green has many options at its disposal.

As the draft nears, though, there’s a potential trade partner who made a move Friday that could open the floodgates to a bigger deal happening. And New York could make out like bandits because of it.

Jets trade partners

The Philadelphia Eagles’ trade to acquire wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks from the Green Bay Packers turned heads Friday afternoon for a number of reasons.

First, bringing in a quality threat like Wicks could lead the team to eventually move on from All-Pro wideout A.J. Brown once and for all. It’s becoming a near-guarantee that Brown has played his last down with the Birds.

But the acquisition of Wicks offers another consequence. The potential trade of Brown means the Eagles will be in the market for a top receiver in the draft. With the 23rd overall pick, it’s hard to see any of the top prospects, like Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon, or Jordyn Tyson, being available when they make their pick.

The only way Philly can get one of the top guys is with a trade-up.

That’s where the Jets come in.

New York also has a need at receiver. The team may not want to pass on a player like Lemon if he falls to 16, just to give him to another organization.

But if they aren’t sold on any of the top wideouts and can get an enticing haul of draft picks, the Jets may be willing to hear Philly out. At the very least, it may set up Gang Green well for the later rounds of the draft.

Trade back candidates?

If you ask most Jet fans, the preference for the team would be to trade up in the draft to acquire a top offensive playmaker of their choice. Trading down, while viable, isn’t what many expect to happen at this point.

But when it comes to draft-day trades, the Eagles have been as aggressive as New York. They also have clearly set needs at wide receiver, offensive tackle, and edge rusher. More importantly, they are still competing for a championship, making a draft trade-up likely.

New York could use Philadelphia’s high expectations to their advantage. If there’s a receiver that Gang Green isn’t sold on, but the Eagles are, it could give the Jets a chance to acquire more picks in 2027, and potentially a third-round pick this year (which they do not currently have), in order to move back up in the draft.

It’s not the sexiest move. It’s not even a move that should be considered likely, given that the team wants to be aggressive in nabbing a receiver.

But the Jets do not expect to be competitive this year. And that might just mean punting certain decisions to the following year.