The Jets named six captains for the 2026 season on Thursday, September 3: quarterback Geno Smith, right guard Joe Tippmann, linebacker Demario Davis, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, defensive tackle Harrison Phillips and receiver-returner Isaiah Williams. Teammates voted. Five of the six arrived by trade or free agency, and every captain from 2025 lost the role.
That last part is the story. A captaincy vote usually confirms what a locker room already looks like. This one confirmed that the Jets’ locker room is not the one that finished last season. Our Jets analysis hub has tracked the roster build from March forward.
Who are the Jets’ captains for 2026?
Two on offense, three on defense, one on special teams:
- QB Geno Smith, 35, back with the Jets after nearly a decade away. Offensive coordinator Frank Reich said Smith “just comes to practice every day to get better, and I just think the team feeds off of it.” We covered why the Jets chose Smith back in May.
- RG Joe Tippmann, the only captain the Jets drafted and kept. He signed a four-year extension in June — ESPN reported it at roughly $62 million, NFL Network at $66.4 million.
- LB Demario Davis, 37, in his 15th NFL season and third Jets stint, an eight-time captain in New Orleans. Smith called him “a model of what an elite top-tier linebacker is supposed to be.”
- S Minkah Fitzpatrick, a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro, and an Old Bridge, New Jersey native who played at St. Peter’s Prep.
- DT Harrison Phillips, 30, acquired from Minnesota, one of seven players on the roster over 30.
- WR-KR Isaiah Williams, the 2025 Curtis Martin Team MVP off a return season that made him the third player in franchise history with multiple punt-return touchdowns in one year. A first-time captain.
How were the captains chosen?
By teammate vote, not by the coaching staff. Aaron Glenn has kept the ballot with the players rather than appointing leaders himself, which makes the result an honest read on who this room listens to — and means nothing protected an incumbent.
Why is only one captain a Jets draft pick?
Because the roster was rebuilt from outside. Tippmann, a 2023 second-round pick, is the lone captain the Jets drafted and developed. Smith, Davis, Fitzpatrick, Phillips and Williams all came in by trade, free agency or waiver claim, most within the last two offseasons.
That is a blunt verdict on the previous core. Darren Mougey and Glenn spent two offseasons importing veterans with established leadership résumés, and the vote says the room deferred to them immediately — with the caveat that none of the five has been through a bad Jets October here.
Why isn’t Garrett Wilson a captain?
The Jets have not given a reason, and Wilson’s omission is the most conspicuous thing on the list. He is the team’s best offensive player and one of its longest-tenured, and he was not among the six.
The available context is that he barely played last season. A knee injury that surfaced in Week 8 of 2025 ended his year at seven games and left him on injured reserve — “the first time I’ve missed significant time in my life,” he said in July. He has been healthy all camp. With six slots and a vote that broke toward veterans acquired from outside, a player absent for two-thirds of the previous season was always going to be squeezed. Reading it as a demotion would be a stretch; reading it as a sign the room’s center of gravity has moved is not.
What does this mean heading into Week 1?
Practically, very little changes on Sunday — captains call the toss and wear a patch. Structurally, it says where accountability is meant to sit in a season that starts under pressure. Smith is the fulcrum, with a rookie, Cade Klubnik, as the only quarterback behind him on the active roster.
The Jets open at Tennessee on Sunday, September 13, at 1 p.m. ET on CBS. Our weekly round-up from September 4 covers the cuts and waiver claims that shaped the rest of the 53.
Frequently asked questions
Who are the New York Jets captains in 2026?
The Jets’ 2026 captains are quarterback Geno Smith, right guard Joe Tippmann, linebacker Demario Davis, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, defensive tackle Harrison Phillips and receiver-returner Isaiah Williams. The team announced the six on September 3, 2026.
Is Garrett Wilson a Jets captain in 2026?
No. Garrett Wilson was not named a captain for 2026, and the Jets have not explained the omission. Wilson played only seven games in 2025 and finished the season on injured reserve with a knee injury. He is healthy entering Week 1.
How do the Jets choose their captains?
Jets captains are elected by a vote of their teammates rather than appointed by the coaching staff. Head coach Aaron Glenn has kept the selection with the players, and the 2026 vote produced six captains across offense, defense and special teams.
Source: the Jets’ official announcement, newyorkjets.com, September 3, 2026.