The New York Jets will be receiving some additional help next offseason.
According to Over The Cap’s projections from Nick Korte, the Jets are expected to receive two compensatory NFL draft selections in 2026.
This offseason, the Jets lost pass rusher Haason Reddick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a one-year deal for $14 million. They also lost starting tight end Tyler Conklin on a one-year, $3 million contract to the Los Angeles Chargers.
The loss of Reddick will result in a 2026 fourth-round pick, and the loss of Conklin will result in a 2026 seventh-round draft choice.
The #Jets are projected to receive 2 compensatory picks in 2026 for their free agent losses, per @nickkorte of Over The Cap:
– 4th round pick (Haason Reddick)
– 7th round pick (Tyler Conklin)Whoever NYJ signs from this point forward won’t affect this. #JetUp
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) April 29, 2025
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Explaining How the NFL Compensatory Pick Formula Works
Each year, an “entire round’s worth of picks are distributed among the ends of rounds 3 through 7 that are awarded to teams that lose certain Unrestricted Free Agents (known as Compensatory Free Agents) to other teams,” Over The Cap explained.
“In plain English, if a team loses more players that qualify as CFAs than it signs during free agency, that team is eligible to be awarded compensatory picks in the following NFL draft,” OTC added.
How many free agents did you lose? How many free agents did you sign? What was the average per year on the contract that was inked? The answers to those questions reveal how many picks, if any, you’re set to receive.
According to Over The Cap, the Jets lost five free agents this offseason who would have been eligible for draft pick compensation. However, several possible comp picks were canceled out based on who the Jets signed.
The Detroit Lions’ signing veteran cornerback D.J. Reed to a $48 million contract would have netted the Jets a fourth rounder in 2026. It was canceled out by the Jets signing quarterback Justin Fields to a two-year deal for $40 million.
The Washington Commanders signed defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw to a three-year deal for $45 million. That would have netted the Jets a fifth-round pick. However, that was canceled out by signing cornerback Brandon Stephens to a three-year deal for $36 million.
The New England Patriots stole away Morgan Moses on a three-year deal for $24 million. That would have resulted in the Jets landing a sixth-round pick. The Jets’ signing safety Andre Cisco to a one-year deal with a maximum value of $10 million canceled that out.
Reddick Trade Doesn’t Look as Bad Now in Hindsight
At the end of last season, ESPN’s Rich Cimini said the Reddick trade, “will go down as one of the worst in team history.”
Reddick recorded just a single sack across his 10 games with the Jets in 2024. Every level of this trade was embarrassing, from the lack of production to the public holdout.
However, it won’t end up looking as bad as it did in the moment.
The Jets gave up a conditional 2026 third-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for Reddick. However, based on the Over The Cap compensatory pick projections, they will receive a 2026 fourth rounder for losing him in free agency.
At the end of the day, they basically swapped a third-rounder for a fourth-rounder. Now that isn’t great, but it could have been so much worse.
