The New York Jets are seeking their first winning season since 2015, and their first playoff appearance since 2010. The franchise hopes that an offseason rife with changes to the roster and coaching staff will facilitate the desired turnaround.

As the Jets pursue their best season in over a decade, these are the five questions that will determine whether their dreams come true.

1. Did the Jets win the turnover battle?

The Jets’ losing season streak directly coincides with their negative turnover margin streak. They have not committed fewer turnovers than their opponents since 2015, when they ranked eighth-best in the NFL with a +6 margin.

Their playoff drought also coincides with their streak of seasons without being elite in the turnover column. They have not ranked top-five in the turnover margin since their last playoff appearance in 2010 (+9, fifth-best).

Simply put, the Jets will go as far as the turnover column takes them.

Both sides of the ball have to do their part. Offensively, the Jets need Geno Smith to cut down his interceptions after tossing a league-high 17 last season. The good news is that Smith seems due for such a turnaround, as many of his interceptions in 2025 were unlucky.

Defensively, the Jets obviously need to be far better after generating just four takeaways last season. They need more plays on the ball in the secondary, more punch-outs, and a better recovery rate on loose balls. The last one seems to be mostly up to luck, and Jets fans know that the team is well overdue for some of that in the fumble recovery department.

2. Did the Jets get the Seattle version of Geno Smith?

You would never guess it based on the way people talk about the Jets, but their starting quarterback has posted a 92.0+ passer rating and an above-.500 record in three of the past four seasons.

Of course, his most recent season was ugly, but there are legitimate reasons to believe it was an outlier, and that the Jets can help him return to his Seahawks form.

The Jets don’t need Geno Smith to be a Pro Bowler; you can be a playoff team without a superstar quarterback. You cannot be a playoff team without a competent quarterback, though.

If they can get the best version of him, Smith will still be the Jets’ best quarterback since at least the 2015 version of Ryan Fitzpatrick, who went 10-6 without playing at an incredible level.

3. Was David Bailey an instant difference-maker?

The Jets badly needed front-seven help in both phases after a disastrous 2025 season in the defensive trenches. They went out and got it through various means, but the help mostly focused on run defense, highlighted by names like T’Vondre Sweat, David Onyemata, Joseph Ossai, and Demario Davis.

New York’s run defense is poised to be quite strong, but it’s the ceiling of the pass rush that will determine whether the Jets have the firepower to close out victories on a consistent basis. Rookie David Bailey has been entrusted with a hefty weight of responsibility in that department.

The Jets simply didn’t add much proven assistance to the pass rush. The most productive veteran pass rusher added by New York was Ossai, who ranked just 42nd among edge rushers with 43 total pressures last season. The team is counting on Bailey, the second overall pick, to be the ceiling-raiser for this unit.

Bailey does not have to be the peak version of himself right away, but the Jets do need him to be a well above-average pass rusher in his rookie season for their pass rush to have any chance of being at least league-average. A season of around eight sacks and 50 pressures is the type of benchmark that New York should expect from Bailey.

All three of these questions go hand in hand. The better Smith protects the ball, the better the situations that Bailey and the pass rush will be placed in, increasing their number of favorable opportunities to pressure the quarterback and force turnovers.

Complementary football must be the core element of New York’s turnaround.