Jets roster hits rock-bottom for 2025 season in latest ESPN rankings

Not many NFL teams have had a worse time over the past fifteen years than the New York Jets. You could even argue that no team at all has been worse than the Jets given their 14-year and counting playoff drought. Owner Woody Johnson seems sick of the losing and the moves he’s made over the past 10 months indicate that he’s trying everything to end this shameful streak.

Some fans and analysts are bought in and expect exciting things from the franchise in 2025. Others remain unconvinced, and that’s why ESPN has the Jets at the bottom of the league in their latest rankings. Analysts Aaron Schatz, Mike Clay, and Seth Walder got together to rank every roster in the NFL, and the Jets check in at No. 29, ahead of only the Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, and New Orleans Saints.

It’s not all bad. Mike Clay did give the Jets some credit by picking their cornerback room as their biggest strength, and Walder picked New York’s young bookend tackles as ‘X-factors’ for the 2025 season. Schatz, for his part, referenced a potentially deep offensive line with enough depth to battle through the inevitable injuries. But even with these positives to note about the Jets, the negatives weigh too heavily.

One thing that dragged the Jets down was what ESPN picked as the roster’s biggest weakness, and that was quarterback Justin Fields. Quarterbacks have become the most important players in all of pro sports relative to team success, so if a team’s quarterback is considered their biggest weakness, then there’s just no way you can expect them to win a lot of games.

It might sound unfair to Fields to call him a weakness before the Jets have even entered training camp, but his track record speaks for itself. There’s a reason he’s on his third team in as many years, and even if things go relatively well for him in 2025, it’s still likely to be an up-and-down season for him and for the Jets.

If the Jets can get a career year out of Fields in the same vein as 2024 Sam Darnold or 2023 Baker Mayfield, they have a chance of making a postseason run. If not, that playoff drought will hit its 15-year mark and likely keep growing.