The Jets placed linebacker Kiko Mauigoa on injured reserve on October 24, 2026, closing the book on a season that never got going for the second-year backer. The club announced the move alongside three other roster decisions the day before its 28–25 loss to Miami, and it did so without attaching a return timeline. The current table of designations sits on the Jets injury report hub.
The Jets placed linebacker Kiko Mauigoa on injured reserve on October 24, 2026, with a quad injury sustained in Week 6 at New England. The team announced no return timeline. League rules require a player placed on injured reserve in season to miss at least four games.
What did the Jets announce about Kiko Mauigoa?
The Jets placed Mauigoa on injured reserve and signed linebacker Jaden Keller to the active roster from the practice squad. The announcement, dated October 24, 2026, also elevated linebacker Troy Reeder and offensive lineman Brant Banks from the practice squad for the Week 7 game against the Dolphins. The team attributed Mauigoa’s placement to a quad injury and gave no expected return date.
What happened to Kiko Mauigoa?
Per the club, he sustained a quad injury in Week 6 against the Patriots. The team’s announcement describes a season of starts and stops: he played the first two weeks, then missed three weeks with an earlier quad injury suffered in the Green Bay game, and had accumulated 26 special teams plays across three appearances before this placement. The Jets have not described the circumstances of the Week 6 injury beyond naming it, and no play or snap has been identified publicly as the moment it occurred.
What is the injury, and what have the Jets said about it?
The team has said only that it is a quad injury. That matches the club’s own paperwork: on the final Week 7 injury report, published Friday, October 23, Mauigoa was listed with a quad injury, did not participate in practice on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, and carried an Out designation for the Miami game. The injured reserve placement followed the next day. Two documents, one description — there is no competing account of the injury from the team, and the Jets have not characterized its severity, named a procedure, or said whether surgery is involved. For his full background, see Kiko Mauigoa’s player page.
What does the injured reserve process involve from here?
Injured reserve removes a player from the 53-man active roster while he stays under contract and is paid, which is how the Jets could sign Keller the same day. The timing of the placement is what matters for a comeback. Mauigoa went on injured reserve in late October, long after the 53-man roster was set, so he keeps a path back: the Jets may designate him to return and open a practice window. Under league rules a player in that situation must miss a minimum of four games, and each club may designate up to eight players to return from injured reserve or the non-football injury list across a season. Our explainer walks through how NFL injured reserve works, including the designated-to-return mechanics. A placement before the close of the waiver period following final cutdowns is the one that ends a season outright; this is not that.
When is Kiko Mauigoa expected back?
No timeline has been reported. The Jets announced no expected return, no designation to return has been reported, and the club has not said whether it intends to activate him at all this season. The only firm marker is the rule: he must sit at least four games from the placement. He was already on injured reserve for the October 25 game against Miami, so the four-game floor runs through the middle of November at the earliest, and only if the Jets choose to use a return designation on him. Anything more specific than that would be a guess, and the team has not offered one.
What does it change on the Jets’ linebacker depth chart?
Less than the roster math suggests, because Mauigoa was not playing on defense. His 26 special teams plays over three games were the extent of his 2026 contribution, and he had been listed Out for Week 7 before the placement made it official. The practical effect is in the kicking game and on the back of the roster: Keller, elevated three times earlier this season for the Bears, Browns and Patriots games, now holds a full-time spot, and Reeder was elevated again for Miami. The linebacker room is also still without Marcelino McCrary-Ball, who went on injured reserve on September 22. The Jets have now used injured reserve repeatedly this season, including David Onyemata’s move to injured reserve after core muscle surgery. New York is 2–5 and hosts the Raiders on Sunday, November 1 at 1 p.m. ET on FOX. Full details are in the New York Jets’ official roster announcement.
Frequently asked questions
When will Kiko Mauigoa return?
No return date has been reported. The Jets announced the injured reserve placement without a timeline, and no designation to return has been reported. Under league rules a player placed on injured reserve in season must miss at least four games before he can be restored to the active roster.
Why did the Jets place Kiko Mauigoa on injured reserve?
The club announced on October 24, 2026 that it placed the linebacker on injured reserve with a quad injury. Per the team, he sustained the injury in Week 6 at New England, and he did not practice at any point during Week 7 preparation.
Is Kiko Mauigoa out for the season?
The Jets have not said so. Because he was placed on injured reserve well after the 53-man roster was set, he remains eligible to be designated to return later in the season. A player placed on injured reserve before the waiver period following final cutdowns is the one who is ineligible to return.
Who replaces Kiko Mauigoa on the Jets roster?
The Jets signed linebacker Jaden Keller to the active roster from the practice squad in the same announcement. They also elevated linebacker Troy Reeder and offensive lineman Brant Banks from the practice squad for the Week 7 game against Miami.
What is Kiko Mauigoa’s real name?
The club lists him as Francisco Mauigoa. He goes by Kiko, wears No. 51, and is in his second NFL season after the Jets drafted him in the fifth round in 2025 out of Miami.
How much had Kiko Mauigoa played in 2026 before the injury?
Per the team’s announcement, he played the first two weeks of the season, missed three weeks with an earlier quad injury suffered in the Green Bay game, and had 26 special teams plays across three appearances this season.