The 2026 season for the New York Jets is an odd one. On one hand, Aaron Glenn is fighting for his job, as another awful season would likely mean he's fired.
But, on the other hand, if the Jets lose a lot of games and wind up with a top pick again, they'll have a premium selection in one of the most important quarterback draft classes in recent years.
So, how their 2026 schedule plays out will have a huge impact on Glenn's future and the future of the quarterback position. And according to ESPN's Rich Cimini, the Jets own one of the worst rest differentials according to their 2026 schedule.
"Their net rest differential is -10, per ESPN Research," Cimini writes. "It means they have 10 fewer days' rest than their opponents, the fourth-worst differential in the league."
While such a schedule would normally be viewed as a bad thing, for the Jets in 2026, this is actually some good news.
Why Jets' bad rest 2026 schedule is a good thing
The Jets own the NFL's fourth-worst rest differential in the NFL this season, which means their opponents will be more well-rested than the Jets.
With the goal of losing games to secure a better pick, this negative rest differential should help make some of the worst rest matchups go in their opponents' favor.
And to make things even better for the Jets, the Week seven matchup against the Miami Dolphins and their Week 15 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals are games against teams coming off their byes.
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What that means is two of their top competitors for a top pick in the NFL Draft will have a significant rest advantage over the Jets.
As seen this past season, one win could be the difference between landing their QB of the future or not. And if the Jets have a disadvantage against two of the worst teams in the NFL, that's some good news for the Jets.
Even though Glenn might be trying to save his job, the best path forward for the franchise will be a losing season that secures a very high pick, even if it costs Glenn his job.
If the Jets could lose those matchups against two of the teams likely to be competing for the No. 1 pick in 2027, then their odds for the top spot or, at the very least, an early pick would increase.
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