The New York Jets have had a rough time, not just with a 3-14 season but also the offseason with the fire sale and them trading away Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. It’s no secret that they have been linked to Fernando Mendoza for a while now, even though many think it’s the worst decision for the Heisman winner. But as they head into the 2026 draft, they have realized that while they have the pick, the Raiders actually have the keys to the door that matters. Experts are now asking them to look elsewhere for the next best option. 

The main key is that to land Mendoza, the Jets need to offer a massive package to the Las Vegas Raiders, who have the No. 1 pick and who are hungry for a game-changing QB after their 3-14 season. Plus, Mendoza has been warned about landing up in Jets by many, like Alex Kay from Bleacher’s Report, as a “serious risk of being wasted in the Big Apple.”

So, the Jets need to be prepped, and the next name they seem to be circling in red is Ohio State LB Arvell Reese. After Dante Moore’s return to college, major analysts, including Daniel Jeremiah (NFL.com), Mel Kiper Jr. (ESPN), and Rob Rang (FOX Sports), have all projected the Jets to select Reese at No. 2. The Jets need Reese to lead a practical facelift after their terrible defensive year in 2025. They ranked 31st in sacks, and only Will McDonald IV recorded more than eight sacks last season.

Back in Columbus, Reese recorded 6.5 sacks and 27 pressures at Ohio State in 2025. And with Aaron Glenn taking over defensive playcalling, the unit is all ready to shift to a 3-4 defensive front. Reese is versatile in his own sense. He can play both as a traditional off-ball linebacker or as a stand-up edge rusher. Mel Kiper has compared Reese to Micah Parsons because of his ability to line up anywhere. What makes it even better is the fact that there is a roster vacancy and the fact that the OSU LB’s rare speed of 20.1 mph makes him a menace capable of making the lives of a mobile quarterback miserable.

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But now they face a Sophie’s choice: draft Heisman-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza or select Arvell Reese. Both these players are projected to be the first two players taken in the league. Mendoza is carrying the No.1 tag, whereas Reese carries the No.2. For the longest time, the former Hoosiers QB was predicted to land with the Raiders with the first pick.

That means he won’t be available when the Jets are on the clock at No. 2. To get him, the Jets would likely need to trade up to the No. 1 spot. That’s where Arvell Reese lies. So, until and unless the Jets trade up to the No.1 pick position, they won’t be able to secure Mendoza from the Raiders. Experts suggest it would require the “largest trade compensation EVER” for a team to move the Raiders off the No. 1 pick.

The Raiders are not that stupid to give up a prospect like Fernando Mendoza. Insiders like Rich Cimini note there is “virtually no chance” the Raiders trade the pick because there is no comparable QB prospect available at No. 2.

“Right now, [the Raiders] are sitting on a guy that has all the measurables, intangibles,” Daniel Jeremiah said. “I don’t see the Raiders listening to any of those offers.”

However, there is one precision that can be useful for the Jets to get both Mendoza and Reese.

The Jets should follow their sibling team for the solution

There is only one way the Jets can acquire both Arvell Reese and Fernando Mendoza. They just need to give more picks to the required team. The Jets have 16 overall picks for the 2026 draft. They enter the offseason with some valuable draft capital, holding the No. 2 and No. 16 overall picks. The team will need the No. 2 pick to land Arvell Reese, while it can still use the No. 16 pick as a valuable trade asset. But just one No.16 won’t be enough.

In the 2025 NFL draft, the New York Giants set a record that helped them to land two major prospects on both sides of the ball. The Giants had No. 3 as their original pick. They kept that pick and selected PSU edge rusher Abdul Carter. Carter was chosen to upgrade a defensive front that had Kayvon Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence. Good choice. But then the Giants didn’t stop. They wanted the 25th overall pick, which they traded with the Houston Texans.

For this deal to happen, the Giants gave up their second-round pick (No.34), a 2025 third-round pick (No.99), and a 2026 third-round pick. In return for all these picks, the Giants acquired the No.25 pick to select Ole Miss QB Jaxon Dart. This worked like a charm. By taking on Carter with their original pick and landing Dart using the 25th pick, the Giants front office secured both a generational talent and a developmental QB. The Jets should follow this strategy.