On draft day in 2025, all 32 teams began the first round with their original pick in place. This year is a whole lot different.
Five teams have two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL draft, and five other teams have none, after the Raiders got the Ravens’ 2026 and 2027 first-round picks by agreeing to trade Maxx Crosby.
The Raiders have their own first-round pick (No. 1 overall) and the Ravens’ first-round pick (No. 14).
The Jets have their own first-round pick (No. 2) and the Colts’ first-round pick (No. 16) from the Sauce Gardner trade.
The Browns have their own first-round pick (No. 6) and the Jaguars’ first-round pick (No. 24) from last year’s draft-day trade that allowed the Jaguars to draft Travis Hunter.
The Chiefs have their own first-round pick (No. 9) and the Rams’ first-round pick (No. 29) from the Trent McDuffie trade.
The Cowboys have their own first-round pick (No. 12) and the Packers’ first-round pick (No. 20) from the Micah Parsons trade.
Five other teams don’t have a first-round pick: The Falcons, Ravens, Colts, Packers and Jaguars.
The teams with two first-round picks all missed the playoffs last season and know they have some rebuilding to do. Those picks can be their building blocks.
New Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich may want to bring in one of his old quarterbacks to run his offense again: Carson Wentz.
Wentz is Reich’s preferred option because of the relationship they built during the time they’ve previously spent together, according to Connor Hughes of SNY.
Reich was the Eagles’ offensive coordinator during Wentz’s first two NFL seasons, and while playing in Reich’s offense in 2017, Wentz was an MVP candidate before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Then when Reich was head coach of the Colts, Wentz played for one season in Indianapolis in 2021 and played well for most of the season, although Wentz’s tenure with the Colts is remembered mostly for his disastrous final game, in which a season-ending upset loss knocked the Colts out of playoff contention.
Wentz started five games for the Vikings last season, completing 65.1 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and five interceptions. He becomes a free agent next week.
The Jets are expected to add multiple quarterbacks this offseason, and Wentz would have to compete for playing time, but no one should be surprised if he’s playing in Reich’s offense again, with a third team.
The Jets will not tender restricted free agent John Metchie, according to Jordan Schultz of The Schultz Report.
That will make Metchie a free agent.
The Texans selected Metchie with the 44th overall pick in 2022, but he missed his rookie season. While working his back back from an ACL tear, Metchie was diagnosed with leukemia.
Metchie, 25, caught 40 passes for 412 yards and a touchdown in 2023-24 in Houston before the Texans traded him to the Eagles for Harrison Bryant and a swap of third-round picks in training camp last summer.
At the trade deadline in 2025, the Eagles shipped him to the Jets in exchange for Michael Carter II and a late-round 2027 swap. He caught 29 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns in nine games for the Jets last season after making four receptions for 18 yards in seven games with the Eagles.
The Jets announced a handful of roster moves on Wednesday afternoon.
They have re-signed tight end Jelani Woods and they have tendered defensive tackle Jowon Briggs and linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball as exclusive rights free agents.
Woods joined the Jets last year and played in four games during the 2025 season. He had one catch in those appearances and he had 25 catches for 312 yards and three touchdowns with the Colts during the 2022 campaign before missing two seasons with injuries.
Briggs was acquired in an August trade with the Browns and he had four sacks while appearing in every game for the Jets. McCrary-Ball has been a special teams regular in his three seasons with the team, but was limited to five games due to injury in 2025.
Lou Holtz, who spent one season as head coach of the Jets but is better remembered as the only coach in college football history to lead six different programs to bowl games, has died at the age of 89.
Notre Dame, where Holtz coached from 1986 to 1996, released a statement from the Holtz family confirming his death.
“Louis Leo “Lou” Holtz, legendary college football coach, Hall of Famer, bestselling author, and one of America’s most influential motivational voices, has passed away at the age of 89 in Orlando, Florida, surrounded by family,” the statement said. “Born January 6, 1937, in Follansbee, West Virginia, Holtz rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most respected figures in college athletics. Over a remarkable five decade career, he led college programs at William & Mary, NC State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame, and South Carolina. He transformed every team he inherited and captured the 1988 National Championship with the Fighting Irish. Holtz was preceded in death by his beloved wife of more than 50 years, Beth, with whom he shared a life grounded in faith, devotion, and service.
“Holtz is remembered for his enduring values of faith, family, service, and an unwavering belief in the potential of others. His influence extended far beyond the football field through the Holtz Charitable Foundation and the many players, colleagues, and communities shaped by his leadership. He is survived by his four children, nine grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. Funeral arrangements, including a Mass of Christian Burial at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame, will be announced as details are finalized.”
Holtz was a linebacker at Kent State in the 1950s and became an assistant coach at Iowa in 1960, beginning a career in coaching that would span nearly half a century. Holtz was hired as the head coach at William & Mary in 1969 and led the team to the Tangerine Bowl in 1970. North Carolina State hired Holtz away in 1972, and he led the Wolfpack to four straight bowl games before leaving for the Jets in 1976.
His 10 months in the NFL taught him that he was better suited to college football. Upon his resignation with one game left in the season, Holtz said, “God did not put Lou Holtz on this earth to coach in the pros.”
Holtz then went to Arkansas in 1977 and immediately turned the program around, taking a Razorbacks team that had gone 5-5-1 the year before and leading them to an 11-1 record and the No. 3 ranking in the country. Despite Holtz’s early success, he was fired after going 6-5 in 1983. He then went to Minnesota for two years before Notre Dame hired him in 1986.
It was his tenure at Notre Dame for which Holtz is best remembered. He led the Fighting Irish to a 12-0 season and a national championship in 1988 and finished in the Top 10 four other times. His overall record at Notre Dame was 100-30-2.
Holtz left Notre Dame in 1996 and initially said he was retired, but he returned to coach South Carolina in 1999. Holtz went 0-11 in his first season but then engineered a remarkable turnaround, going 8-4 in his second season and 9-3 in his third. He retired for good after the 2004 season.
