We’ve already known each NFL team’s 2026 opponents for months now. But with the league’s official schedule release set for Thursday, this is the week when schedule talk comes to the forefront each year.
One of the most underrated aspects to watch out for on a team’s schedule is the number of travel miles they are slated to cover. As sports fans know, it can be an advantage when one team has been doing less traveling as of late than their opponent.
With international games increasing each year in the NFL, the travel miles spectrum is growing across the league. This year, the top team in travel miles (San Francisco, 38,105) is expected to cover more than four times as many miles through the air as the lowest-ranked team (Carolina, 8,740).
So, where do the aptly named New York Jets rank when it comes to travel miles on the 2026 schedule?
Your answer: 27th, with 14,038 travel miles. In the AFC, they rank 15th out of 16 teams, with only the Cleveland Browns (9,073) expected to cover fewer miles through the air.
The Jets have a significant advantage in the AFC East, as all three of the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, and Buffalo Bills rank in the top 13. The Patriots (fifth, 27,590) and Dolphins (sixth, 27,568) both rank in the top six, with nearly twice as many travel miles as the Jets.
New York drew a favorable road schedule in 2026. They will not travel internationally, and only two of their games will be out west (Arizona, L.A. Chargers). Otherwise, their remaining non-division road games will be played in Kansas City, Chicago, Detroit, and Tennessee.
Will this matter at all for the Jets? Perhaps not, but as New York fans crave their first taste of the playoffs in 15 years, they will gladly accept every sliver of an advantage they can sink their teeth into.
