The New York Jets spent the offseason trying to fix one of the most baffling problems from their disastrous 2025 campaign: an inability to take the football away. That issue reached historic—and frankly, embarrassing—levels when the defense failed to record a single interception all season. It was an astonishing stat for a unit that once prided itself on creating chaos and suffocating opposing passing attacks.
New York responded aggressively. The Jets traded for former All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, whose 21 career interceptions bring immediate credibility and proven production to the secondary. They also added cornerback Nahshon Wright after a breakout season in Chicago that included five picks. Still, some analysts believe the Jets may not be done searching for ballhawks.
NFL.com’s Matt Okada recently named the Jets as the best fit for free-agent cornerback Trevon Diggs. As most fans know, Diggs is a former All-Pro whose career has stalled due to injuries and inconsistency. But when healthy and locked in, he’s one of the most dynamic playmakers in the game.
“I used to be a researcher here at the NFL, so I’ve seen every mind-boggling statistic you can imagine,” Okada wrote. “That the New York Jets managed zero interceptions over the entirety of the 2025 season remains one of the most absurd facts I’ve ever encountered. It’s unconscionable. Diggs is the perfect low-cost, low-risk, high-reward signing for a team like the Jets. If he can’t rediscover his early upside, then no harm, no foul. But if the 27-year-old harnesses his Pro Bowl form once again, Gang Green could get an excellent bargain.”
At his peak, Diggs was one of football’s premier turnover creators. He intercepted 11 passes during the 2021 season alone and recorded 18 interceptions across his first four NFL campaigns. Quarterbacks feared testing him because mistakes often became takeaways. The problem? He had a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality on the field—feast or famine, with the dominant version of Diggs feeling increasingly distant. Injuries have limited his availability and consistency, but the raw talent remains undeniable.
For a Jets team desperate to rediscover its defensive identity, adding a high-upside corner like Diggs could be the spark that turns a historically bad statistic into a thing of the past. And for fans, imagining a secondary featuring Fitzpatrick, Wright, and a motivated Diggs is enough to get excited about what’s possible in 2026.