Jets' agonizing skid continues with trade deadline looming

The Jets lost again because that's what losing teams do — they find ways not to win. And Sunday's 38-33 defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders was a masterclass.

The Jets scored on their first six possessions. They held a nine-point halftime lead. Braelon Allen ran for 147 yards. Garrett Wilson was targeted. AD Mitchell had a career-high 142 yards and a touchdown. Geno Smith looked like a Pro Bowler. The Jets had more first downs, yards and the time-of-possession advantage.

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It didn't matter. They still lost.

At 2-6, with the Chiefs and Bills up next, Gang Green's season is effectively over. You wonder if the Jets would treat the next 10 days as such with the NFL trade deadline approaching.

That, though, will not be the case.

General manager Darren Mougey will answer his phone when it rings. Always. That philosophy is how he got Mitchell and two first-round picks from the (currently spiraling) Indianapolis Colts for cornerback Sauce Gardner a year ago.

Even after this loss to the Raiders, though, the Jets do not plan on making this a fire sale, multiple sources told SNY. In fact, according to these sources, the team does not plan on being very active at all.

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Mougey has been among the more aggressive general managers in the NFL, facilitating 14 different trades involving players. No two were more significant than those struck at last year's deadline.

Aside from Gardner, the Jets also sent star interior defensive lineman Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys in exchange for a second-round pick in 2025, and the better of the Cowboys two first-round picks in 2026.

There are players on the Jets roster this year who have fallen out of favor with the staff or out of the lineup entirely, like cornerback Nashon Wright. The Jets might look to deal those players in exchange Day 3 draft picks. But big name transactions are not expected.

Teams were already contacting the Jets about Wilson — those calls will only increase after this Raiders loss. The Jets have stressed the same to anyone asking about their star receiver: He is not available.

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Running back Breece Hall is another name floated around in recent days. Allen's emergence, along with some timely cryptic social media posts by Hall, connected hypothetical dots he was on his way out.

Regardless, the Jets, to this point, have not had any serious internal discussions about moving Hall. They view Hall and Allen as two players capable of forming one of the NFL's best running back duos.

While the Jets did extend Gardner shortly before trading him, they do not plan on doing the same thing with Hall.

"He's an important part of what we're doing, what we're building," head coach Aaron Glenn said of Hall on Sunday.

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The biggest running back domino yet to fall is Colts' star Jonathan Taylor. Once he's traded — or more importantly, what he's traded for — could shift the attention of those who miss out on him. Those teams will surely check in on Hall. One getting reckless, like the Colts did for Gardner, could force an unforeseen discussion.

That, though, is not anticipated.

Mougey has worked hard to acquire players he believes will contribute to the Jets turning this around — if they are to turn it around. Assets don't matter if you don't turn them into anything.

The Jets want to fill holes. They're not trying to create more. So don't expect much from the Jets ahead of the trade deadline (4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10).