Bryan Cook, Chiefs
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Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook trying to make a play during an NFL game against the Houston Texans.
The New York Jets are keeping an eye on some of the top talent set to be available on the open market.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini revealed that the Jets “are considering” Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Bryan Cook before free agency.
Cook, 26, will turn 27 before the start of the 2026 season. He has been in the NFL for four years and has won two Super Bowls.
Championship Splash on the Open Market
The former Howard and Cincinnati product entered the league as the No. 62 overall pick in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft.
During his four years in the league, Cook has appeared in 62 games and has made 47 starts. With those opportunities, he has collected three interceptions, 15 pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, a sack, four tackles for loss, and 238 tackles.
Over the last two years, he has appeared in 34 out of 34 possible games. In Matt Bowen’s top 50 free agent list for ESPN, Cook was the 25th-ranked overall player and the top-ranked safety in this class.
“A rangy safety with top-down speed, Cook fits in both split-field and single-high schemes. The 2022 second-round pick is the highest-ranked player at his position on this list. He had six pass breakups in 2025, playing 82.6% of Kansas City’s defensive snaps,” Bowen wrote.
A Bag Is Coming for Cook
According to Spotrac’s calculated market value, Cook is expected to command a four-year $56.7 million contract in free agency. That $14.2 million annual salary would place Cook No. 12 among the highest-paid safeties in the NFL, per Over The Cap.
Daniel Popper of The Athletic wasn’t as high on Cook. He had him ranked No. 37 on his free agent big board and the third-best safety that is expected to be available.
“Cook is a two-way safety who can play in the deep part of the field and closer to the line of scrimmage. He has a complete skill set: consistent eyes in zone, a deep-field presence, run-and-hit ability in the alley, physicality, and a quick trigger on screens and swings. Cook will deliver the boom on tight-window throws over the middle. Though he played mostly as a deep-field safety in coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s Chiefs defense, he has the potential to do more, particularly as a blitzer,” Popper wrote.
An Aggressive Approach in Free Agency
Cimini explained that “the Jets figure to be aggressive in free agency on the defensive side of the ball.”
Good because they need it. This defense was bottom five in every major category last year. In the middle of the season, the green and white waved the white flag. They traded two of their brightest stars, Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, in blockbuster deals at the deadline.
It set up the team for long-term potential success, but it destroyed them in the immediate. Williams and Gardner are both former first-team All-Pro players.
Not only do the Jets have to replace that lost talent, but they have to add even more on top of the pile.
One of the top areas of need will be the safety position for the Jets this offseason.