Driftsprint

By Tyler ErzbergerShareNewsweek is a Trust Project member

New York Jets fans are in a constant state of hopelessness, frustration, and optimism.

After 15 years, the green and white faithful want to believe in something again. They haven't made the postseason in almost two decades, and the Jets once again sit selecting near the top of the NFL Draft.

To their luck, they desperately needed a franchise quarterback of the future to believe in, and are picking second in a Draft with only one QB projected as a true first-rounder. Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, national champion and Heisman winner, is already projected to go to the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Jets thought they could get Dante Moore, the superstar QB of the Oregon Ducks, but he re-signed with the team for millions to play one more year in college.

Sam Darnold, who they believed would be their franchise face when they picked him in 2018, just won the Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks.

Head coach Aaron Glenn was caught sleeping at the NFL Scouting Combine in front of millions on broadcast and at home.

For second-year general manager Darren Mougey, he needs to find something the fans can rally around quick, or his tenure in New York might not last longer than Glenn's daytime nap.

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Mougey knows his team needs a franchise quarterback under center, and though the team has talked about pushing all their chips to the middle of the table to get the No. 1 pick for Mendoza, it is unlikely.

“Absolutely, we’ll talk about all those things," he said in an ESPN interview. "But I don’t think that’s happening."

It's another exhausting axe to the hope of a fanbase searching for that savior that can lead the Jets out of the hole they've been in for over a decade.

Although there's no promise Mendoza would do any better than Darnold with the Jets, or Justin Fields, or Zach Wilson, or Geno Smith, or even Christian Hackenberg, it would have at least given the Jets fans something to look forward to in 2026.

While they should still get a guaranteed impact player with the No. 2 overall pick, until they have a QB the fans can believe in, the haze of melancholy will continue to hang over the Jets.

And just like Mougey knows a swap for Mendoza is unlikely, he knows that fact as well.

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