The New York Jets finished tied with an NFL-worst record of 3-14 throughout the 2025 season. They were last place in the AFC East, and the second-worst team in the division more than doubled their win total (Miami Dolphins, 7-10). The New England Patriots went 14-3 and the Buffalo Bills finished 12-5.
The rebuilding Jets feel several years away from truly contending with the Patriots and Bills. The Patriots have Drake Maye and represented the AFC in Super Bowl 60. The Bills have been annual contenders under Josh Allen. The Jets are playing catch-up.
Pro Football Focus recently ranked every last-place team’s chance to go from worst to first across all eight NFL divisions.
Surprisingly, the Jets finished 5/8. It’s probably more of an indictment on how bad the Las Vegas Raiders, Cleveland Browns, and Arizona Cardinals are.
“The Jets have major lifting to do to get back to contention, but their roster does look a bit better heading into 2026,” Bradley Locker wrote. “Aaron Glenn’s first season calling the shots didn’t go as planned, with New York notching the second-worst overall PFF grade and going 3-14. Glenn’s seat is certainly hot to avoid another cataclysmic season. The good news for New York is that its 26th-ranked defense improved by adding David Bailey, Demario Davis, Minkah Fitzpatrick and D’Angelo Ponds. It’ll be a tall task to overcome the Bills and Patriots in this division, but the Jets are capable of displaying some progress.”
It’s nice to see a mainstream outlet like PFF believe the Jets are making roster progress. The Jets just are not ready to contend in the AFC East yet, but they’re getting there.
Jets Wire will continue to provide updates throughout the 2026 offseason.
This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: PFF: Could the Jets go from worst-to-first in the AFC East?
Reporting by Justin Melo, Jets Wire / Jets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
