The Jets may only be 2-4 in Week 7, but there is still plenty of talent on the roster to feel good about for the future.
While much of that talent is on rookie contracts, some veteran Jets are scheduled to hit free agency at the end of the season. The Jets will need to decide whether they want to extend those players before that happens, or if they are content with letting them walk.
3 early Jets contract extension candidates
If New York is smart, three names in particular will be extended by general manager Darren Mougey over the course of the next few months. Let's go through them now.
1. Dane Belton, S
The first one is easy. Dane Belton has been one of the better free-agent signings the Jets have enjoyed over the last several seasons. Since coming from the Giants, Belton has been graded as a top-20 safety in the league by Pro Football Focus (74.2, 17th) while fitting many different roles.
"How impressed I was that (Dane) can come in and he can play basically the same role that Minkah (Fitzpatrick) had of being able to play the big nickel, playing safety," Glenn said in September. "He’s an impressive player. Intelligent, smart, and he can take up that slack.”
Belton's versatility is something that the Jets cannot let walk in free agency.
2. Harrison Phillips, DL
The 2026 season has not been a very good year for Harrison Phillips. The aging defensive tackle is ranked as the 103rd-best defensive lineman in the league this year by PFF. For reference, that number is out of 129 players.
Phillips's biggest issue is a lack of pass rush that has crippled the Jets' defense for a majority of the year. At 30 years old, it's fair to wonder whether Phillips can get back to his quality starter days of past years.
Despite the struggles, he's still worth an extension for next year and beyond.
The Jets need bodies along the interior of their defensive line, and Phillips is a locker room leader. It's hard to move off captains who say the right things and keep everyone else in line. He may not get the kind of long-term deal many tackles hope for, but it's still a smart move for the Jets to bring Phillips back.
3. Geno Smith, QB
New York is going to draft a quarterback in 2027. Armed with three first-round picks, it's more likely the Jets will try to pair a young quarterback with another top playmaker as well.
But the Jets still need Geno Smith. The veteran signal-caller has been quite solid this year, completing 69% of his passes with seven touchdowns and just one interception to boot. He's been everything the team could have hoped for and more this year.
It would be in the Jets' best interest to bring Smith back on an extension and use him as a veteran presence for the incoming rookie. Instead of throwing an inexperienced player at quarterback to begin the year, they could bring Smith back and allow the incoming rookie QB to develop at his own pace.
Not only would it keep a viable starting quarterback on the field for the team, but it would also give Gang Green a quality bridge to their future franchise quarterback. Smith won't cost as much as other starting quarterbacks in the league, but his presence will be just as important going into next year.
It's worth bringing Smith back for another year or two.
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