Oregon quarterback Dante Moore has made a final decision on his status ahead of the 2026 NFL draft.
Moore will not be entering the 2026 NFL draft and instead will return to school. He announced the decision during a SportsCenter special at 2:30 pm ET on Wednesday, January 14.
This is terrible news for New York Jets fans.
This Is Devastating News for the Jets…
Moore going back to school should hit the Jets right in the chops. Jets fans just endured a 3-14 campaign, which ranks among the worst in franchise history.
That stinks. However, it would have been an easier pill to swallow if the talented Ducks QB entered the class. That would have opened a path for the Jets to find their next franchise quarterback. Or they could have potentially flipped that pick to another team while they received a bounty of picks and/or players.
Now that dream is dead.
In the middle of January, there isn’t a quarterback in this class worthy of being the pick at No. 2 overall.
The only passer that would fit that category is Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. The full expectation is he will be the top choice of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Jets fans can’t help but look back at the 2025 season that was. The Raiders and Jets finished with the exact same record at 3-14. The first tiebreaker for the draft is SOS [strength of schedule]. Las Vegas finished with a .538 SOS, and the Jets finished with a .552, per Tankathon. A seismic gap that determined who picked No. 1 and who picked No. 2.
Had the Jets lost one more game this season, they would be the team winning the Mendoza sweepstakes, but alas.
The Stats Speak for Themselves
Moore, 20, will turn 21 before the 2026 season.
He spent the 2023 season at UCLA. During that stretch, he appeared in nine games. Moore completed 53.5% of his passes, threw for 1,610 passing yards, and had a 11 touchdown to nine interception ratio.
However, he took his game to another level when he transferred to Oregon.
Over the last two seasons, Moore has completed 72.1% of his passes, has thrown for 3,614 passing yards, and has a 30 touchdown to 10 interception ratio.
Top Social Media Reactions to Stunning Moore News
“I don’t mind being in the minority, I think it is better for the Jets that Dante Moore did not declare for the draft. They would have likely taken him at 2. He is not ready The Jets would have likely played him year 1,” Jets Today posted.
“Incoming ‘avoiding the Jets talk’. Truth is, Dante Moore is not even 21 years old, and he can benefit from returning for another year of college at Oregon. Will be interesting to see how he and Raiola work out. Jets lose one option at QB this off-season,” Jets analyst Dylan Tereman posted.
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