The Jets clearly have an eye toward 2027, when they will have three first-round picks to play around with, but 2026 is set to be a significant test for coach Aaron Glenn.
After a listless finish to his first season on the job, can his Jets at least show signs of competitiveness? Few expect New York to contend for anything meaningful, but the bar can at least be set higher entering 2027.
The offense now belongs to Geno Smith, who won only two games with the Raiders in 2025 but is looking to bring his career full-circle with a bounce-back year in his return to the Jets. Smith has some weapons between Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall and first-round picks Kenyon Sadiq and Breece Hall, but the pressure is on the veteran to cut back on turnovers.
With Glenn specializing in defense and now in charge of play-calling, the revamped unit has to shape up for the Jets to make strides — and for Glenn to avoid hot-seat talk.
Here is a complete breakdown of the Jets' 2026 schedule, including dates, start times and analysis for all 17 games.
New York Jets schedule 2026
Home opponents: Bills, Broncos, Browns, Dolphins, Packers, Patriots, Raiders, Vikings
Away opponents: Bears, Bills, Cardinals, Chargers, Chiefs, Dolphins, Lions, Patriots, Titans
Every NFL team's 2026 opponents are predetermined. The Jets' full 2026 NFL schedule with dates, times and TV networks will be updated below when the NFL schedule is announced at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 14.
Week Date Opponent Kickoff time (ET) TV channel
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Jets strength of schedule
The Jets entered last season with the 26th-ranked schedule in terms of opponent win percentage from the previous year. It didn't help very much, as New York struggled against a handful of bad teams and looked overmatched against the great ones.
New York's schedule is actually tougher this season by opponent winning percentage, ranking 12th with a win percentage of .517. Some of that has to do with the rise of the Patriots, who won 14 games in 2025, and the fact they play an NFC North division that didn't have a single losing team.
That .517 mark also doesn't factor in that the Chiefs don't expect to be 6-11 again, so the Jets will have to take advantage of the true breaks on their schedule.
Toughest tests: With the Patriots back to prominence and the Bills still the Bills, the Jets have an automatic four difficult games in the AFC East. The Jets also drew a tough break by having to face the NFC North, with games in Detroit and Chicago, and New York will have to go on the road to Arrowhead Stadium to face the Chiefs this season.
Biggest breaks: The Jets really benefited from finishing last in the AFC East. While the Dolphins have to face a third-place schedule of the Bengals, Colts and Chiefs, the Jets get to face a last-place schedule of the Browns, Titans and Raiders. New York also faces the Cardinals as its "17th game" on the schedule, and two games against the Dolphins are certainly expected to be winnable.
Jets record prediction
Over/under win total: 5.5
Bottom line: The Jets have reasons to be excited, even beyond the prospect of drafting a quarterback next spring. Wilson, Hall, Cooper Jr. and Sadiq with a decent offensive line make for an offense that should at least be worth watching, and the defense has largely been turned over with a number of veteran additions after a disastrous close to 2025. Aaron Glenn still has a lot to prove, however, and the reality is Geno Smith is a low-end starting quarterback. The Jets will have to win all of their games against last year's bottom-feeders and then some if they want to contend in 2026.
Record prediction: 5-12