The 2026 NFL League Year and free agency signing period are set to begin March 11.
The Jets will be interested in signing free agents from other teams, but they will also consider signing their own players who could test the FA waters. They have 24 players who can become unrestricted free agents (UFAs) and one player who can become a restricted free agent.
Here are notes on the Jets' 10 defensive and 1 special teams players who will be deciding whether to re-up with the Green & White or move on, and whom the Jets will be deciding whether to try to re-sign or let go. In addition, the team has 1 defensive player who is a restricted free agent.
Defense (10 Unrestricted, 1 Restricted)
Defensive Line
DL Micheal Clemons -- A fourth-round pick of the Jets (No. 117 overall) in the 2022 NFL Draft, Clemons has appeared in 65 games (24 starts) with the Green & White and registered 8.5 sacks, 119 tackles and 20 QB hits. Last season, Clemons started 6 contests and finished with 22 tackles, 5 QB hits and 1 sack.
DT Khalen Saunders Jr. -- After signing with the Jets last November, Saunders appeared in 7 games and participated in 141 defensive snaps and 30 special teams snaps. Over 77 games with four teams, Saunders has compiled 193 tackles and 7.5 sacks.
DT Jay Tufele -- The rotational defensive tackle had 12 tackles in 12 games last season. Tufele's 230 defensive snaps were his second-highest mark in his 5-year career that started in Jacksonville in 2021.
Linebacker
LB Quincy Williams -- A wavier claim from Jacksonville in 2021, Williams played in 78 games (73 starts) the past 5 seasons and tallied 554 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 27 PDs, 9 FF and 4 FR. He was named Curtis Martin Team MVP in 2023 and earned first team All-Pro honors after registering 139 tackles, 15 TFL and 10 PDs.
LB Mykal Walker -- A special teams fixture, Walker logged 306 snaps for ST coordinator Chris Banjo and also played 194 defensive snaps. He finished the season with 31 tackles.
Restricted: LB Cam Jones -- The Indiana product, who signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and spent 2 years in Kansas City, appeared in the first six games for the Green & White this season. He played 105 snaps on special teams and 3 on defense.
Cornerback
CB Kris Boyd -- A core special teams player for most of his career, Boyd signed with the Jets in March. He sustained a shoulder injury during the team's Green & White practice on Aug. 2 and subsequently was place on injured reserve. He is recovering from a shooting that took place in Midtown Manhattan in November.
CB Ja'Sir Taylor -- The Asbury, NJ, native was acquired from the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for a 2028 seventh-round pick prior to the NFL trade deadline. He played 121 defensive snaps in 8 games and finished with 13 tackles and 1 PD.
Safeties
S Andre Cisco -- A third-round draft selection of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021, Cisco, a Syracuse product, was signed by the Jets as an unrestricted free agent last March. He recorded 1 TFL, 1 FR and 41 tackles in 2025, which was the second most on the team when he sustained a pectoral injury during the fourth quarter of the Jets' Week 8 win over Cincinnati.
S Tony Adams -- Lined up in 12 games (9 starts) for the Green & White last season, recording 49 total tackles, 1 sack and 5 pass defenses. An undrafted free agent from Illinois, Adams played in 53 games (36 starts) for the Jets from 2022-25 and amassed 232 tackles, 16 PDs and 4 INTS.
DB Isaiah Oliver -- The veteran defensive back appeared in 14 games last season (2 starts), playing 300 special teams snaps and 322 defensive snaps while recording 55 total tackles and 3 pass defenses. He was placed on injured reserve in December after sustaining a knee injury in a loss to the Jaguars.
Specialists
K Nick Folk — The veteran kicker was indeed special last season as his individual accuracy and the Jets' team percentage of 96.6% were both No. 1 in the league. Folk has been the league's most accurate kicker over these past 3 seasons at 96.3% by hitting 78 of his 81 FG attempts, and he set the team season records for most walkoff FG kicks (6) and most 50-yard FGs in a season (7), while extending his record for the most 50-plus makes in a Jets career (25).
