Dante Moore makes 2026 NFL Draft decision with Jets implications

Oh Duck. 

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore announced Wednesday that he is returning to Oregon for the 2026 season, leaving the Jets to look elsewhere for a quarterback.

Moore was projected to be the second quarterback taken in this year’s draft after Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. The Jets were seen as a potential landing spot for Moore at the No. 2 pick. Instead, Moore announced on ESPN he is returning to school for his junior season. 

“It’s been very tough,” Moore said of his decision. 

Moore threw for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns this season. He was not seen as a slam dunk prospect though with only 20 college starts and a poor performance against Indiana in the college football playoffs. 

The Jets are searching for a quarterback and could still add one through the draft, free agency, a trade or some combination of the three. 

It is very Jets-like to wind up with the No. 2 pick in a draft that only has one highly ranked quarterback. The Jets may have to find a Band-Aid for the 2026 season and then set their sights on 2027 when the draft is expected to be loaded with quarterbacks and the Jets have three first-round picks. Moore and Texas’ Arch Manning project to be at the top of the 2027 class. 

Moore passed up the chance to make around $50 million guaranteed if he was drafted No. 2 by the Jets. Wednesday was the deadline for underclassmen not in the College Football Playoff championship game to declare for the draft. 

Moore transferred to Oregon from UCLA and led the Ducks to the semifinals. He led Oregon to some big wins this season and ESPN’s Mel Kiper had rated him as the top quarterback in this year’s draft before flipping Mendoza to No. 1 after the semifinal. 

Between UCLA and Oregon, Moore only had 20 starts, which scares some NFL teams. Most NFL scouts believe a college quarterback should make 25-30 starts to be ready for the NFL. So, even if the Jets were able to draft Moore, the chances are he would have had to sit most or all of the 2026 season before he was ready to play.

Concerns about Moore grew on Friday when he played poorly in Oregon’s 56-22 loss to the Hoosiers. He threw a pick-six on the game’s first play and lost two fumbles in the game.

The Jets were not far enough along in the draft process for this to be a setback or pivot point for them. They have been scouting the college quarterbacks but the coaches have not yet even weighed in on prospects.

Alabama’s Ty Simpson and Mississippi’s Trinidad Chambliss now move to the top of the quarterback ratings after Mendoza. The Jets have pick Nos. 16, 33 and 44 and could take a quarterback at one of those spots. It remains to be seen how highly Simpson and Chambliss are rated after the draft process. 

The Jets are expected to move on from Justin Fields, who started nine games for them last season. The options in free agency are underwhelming. It will be on general manager Darren Mougey to navigate through an uninspiring list of available quarterbacks.