ESPN’s Matt Miller [is sharing some buzz](https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2026/story/_/id/48428742/2026-nfl-draft-latest-buzz-rumors-news-mocks-predictions-jets-lions-chargers-panthers#jets) about Alabama quarterback prospect Ty Simpson.
> I’m still struggling to find a team for Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson in Round 1. In talking to sources throughout the league, you often hear teams suggest someone might take him, but no one is convinced on who that might be. Even the idea of the Cardinals trading back into Round 1 was met with skepticism from one scouting director I spoke to. “Why give up draft picks to jump into Round 1 when the Jets didn’t like him enough at No. 2 or No. 16 to take him?” they said. A surprise team could emerge as a landing spot for Simpson, but the more likely reality is he’s still on the board in Round 2.
Simpson is a player who has received a decent amount of Jets buzz over the last couple of weeks. On some level it’s logical. The Jets need a long-term solution at the most important position on the field. To the extent there is a consensus number two quarterback in this year’s class behind Fernando Mendoza it’s Simpson. Mendoza is almost certainly going number one overall to the Raiders.
This is viewed as a weak year at quarterback in general, however. Being the number two guy in this year’s class doesn’t guarantee anything. Simpson has his share of question marks, most notable a lack of playing experience. He started only 15 games in college, and there were signs of a downward trajectory in his single season as the starter. The deeper he got into the season, the more Simpson struggled.
If Simpson does fall to round two, it will lead to questions about whether the Jets should take him. The perception will be that picking Simpson in the second round a less risky bet than picking him second overall.
From a financial perspective, that certainly would be true. The second overall pick [is slated](https://overthecap.com/draft) to get a contract worth $55 million over four years. The money falls to $22.6 million over four years at pick 16. By pick 33, the contract is only $13.5 million, and the 44th pick is looking at a contract worth $11.5 million over four years.
To me, though, it’s less a question of where Simpson is picked and more how much they will commit to him.
I think Simpson is an extreme risky quarterback prospect. Personally I have too many questions about his game and his transition to the NFL to feel good about taking in the early rounds.
You could talk me into picking Simpson, however, if the Jets picked him without committing to him in the long term. Most of the time when a team picks a quarterback early, it decides to ordain him the guy of the future. That can be true even when a passer is selected in the second round.
If the Jets pick Simpson in round two with the idea it takes them out of the quarterback sweepstakes in 2027, it really isn’t a low risk pick. They still are committing multiple years to Simpson in that case and bypassing a potentially good quarterback class in a year when they will have three first round picks.
Conversely, the Jets could pick Simpson at 2 without committing to him for the long run. It would be unconventional, but $14 million per year isn’t really a massive commitment to a quarterback. I’m not saying I think picking Simpson would be a good move at 2. In fact, I would dislike the pick quite a bit. But if the Jets went in with the mindset they were still in the 2027 quarterback sweepstakes unless Simpson showed them something special, it would at least give them more options if the pick proved to be a mistake.
So for me the question isn’t really when the Jets should pick Simpson. It’s the extent they would be willing to commit to him.
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