The New York Jets are in a can’t-win situation at quarterback. If they bring in someone who plays well, it could cost them the opportunity to get a franchise QB in next year’s draft. If they bring in someone who’s terrible, he could get head coach Aaron Glenn fired. They’re in a dangerous position and need to avoid the kinds of traps that have hurt teams in the past.
The Jets haven’t made the playoffs since 2010 and have been accused of organizational dysfunction. The only surefire cure for a struggling franchise is a generational quarterback. Joe Burrow almost dragged the Bengals to a championship. But you typically need two things in this situation … a top-3 pick and luck. New York sits at No. 2 in this year’s draft, but that guy isn’t there this year. While it’s tricky to speculate on future drafts, the 2027 class is loaded.
Next season, the Jets will have three first-round picks: their own, one from the Indianapolis Colts (from the sauce Gardner trade), and one from the Dallas Cowboys (Quinnen Williams trade). Their priority is to build the infrastructure for the future quarterback. The Jets are notoriously bad at tanking. They blew their chance to get Trevor Lawrence in 2021 and Fernando Mendoza this year. With a 2027 draft class potentially led by Dante Moore and Arch Manning, New York may not even have to get to No. 1 overall.
So who should the Jets bring in this year? The perfect Jets QB costs nothing, has some upside, a painless downside and will be comfortable not being in New York in a year. The hardest part of this offseason won’t be finding that guy … it will be making sure they don’t bring in the wrong player.
Five QBs the Jets must avoid
1. Kyler Murray
Murray will become a free agent next week when the Cardinals release him and he is considered by many the best QB in a flawed market. He could be attractive to New York because he will likely sign for the league minimum of $1.3 million. Because of offset language in his contract, Arizona will be on the hook for the bulk of the $36.8 million total. On the surface, Murray is an odd fit because Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich likes bigger quarterbacks and had very little success with Bryce Young in Carolina. Still, ESPN’s Rich Cimini and others reported that the Jets are interested.
Here’s the problem … Murray is 28. He has the talent to win enough games to hurt the Jets’ chances of getting the No. 1 pick. He was 38-48-1 in Arizona and played well back when Kliff Kingsbury was the coach. He could convince New York’s front office that he’s a potential long-term answer. But even if Murray plays well, his future is limited because of his injury history. He is also system-specific because of his size, so the Jets would have to build a team for him, which makes no sense as he enters his 30s.
2. Tua Tagovailoa
Like Murray, Tagovailoa is likely to sign for the league minimum once the Dolphins release him. The NFL Network’s Mike Garofolo reported that the Jets are considering their former AFC East foe. Tua happens to be 8-0 vs. the Jets in his career. And in 2022, Tagovailoa torched Glenn’s Lions, completing 29 of 36 passes for 3 TDs and 0 INTs in a 31-27 Miami win.
Tagovailoa is another quarterback who can win enough to mess up the Jets’ future plans. When the conditions are right, Tua can run an offense at a high level. The Jets probably don’t have enough talent to support Tua, but what if they figured it out? He could even knock them out of the top 10 of the draft. Tagovailoa’s well-documented head injuries disqualify him as a long-term option.
3. Malik Willis
The biggest prize on the free-agent market doesn’t make any sense for the Jets. He could cost somewhere between $20 and $30 million per year and take valuable resources away from building the team that would help a future top draft pick. Even though there’s upside with Willis, they can’t risk hamstringing their future for a quarterback who has started six games in his career.
Even attempting to sign Willis would be a sign to Jets fans that they want to win now. That’s not a good thing. If they had to pay up to near $30 million per year or even more, they would likely want to give Willis a couple of years and risk passing on a generational quarterback.
4. Ty Simpson
The Jets also have the No. 16 pick in the upcoming draft and Simpson could make sense in the middle of the first round. But mid-first-round quarterbacks do not have a great track record historically. Simpson has only started 15 games at Alabama, another negative indicator for a team that can’t afford to miss at this position.
Simpson came in at 6-foot-1, 211 pounds at the Combine and on the surface looks more like a game manager than a franchise savior. Simpson seems to have a great attitude and won big games in college. But the Jets need a no-brainer for the next 12 years in the building.
5. Mac Jones
Landing Jones would be a longshot for the Jets because he’s still under contract and the San Francisco 49ers want to keep him as a backup. If they got over their skis and thought they could find the next Sam Darnold this season… or if Glenn convinced the front office they needed to win now, New York could theoretically trade a valuable pick to San Francisco.
If they somehow landed Jones, they’d have to re-do his contract and put off drafting a quarterback for some time. The problem with Jones is that he’s been very good with Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. The Jets don’t have Shanahan. They can’t bring in a system-dependent guy. They need to get as close as they can to a system-proof quarterback.
Note: Kirk Cousins, Geno Smith and Derek Carr would all be problematic, but it’s hard to imagine any of them coming to New York considering their histories with the team.
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Five QBs the Jets could sign
1. Jacoby Brissett: He played at a very non-embarrassing level last season and was still 1-11 as a starter for Arizona. At 33, Brissett might thread the needle between being competitive and helping them stay high in the draft.
2. Spencer Rattler: Rattler was exciting in New Orleans and had productive stretches last season … while still managing to go 1-13 as a starter.
3. Jarrett Stidham: Cimini reported that the Jets could inquire about the Denver Broncos backup. Stidham seems to be a great culture guy and would be a positive force in the locker room.
4. Tyson Bagent: The former undrafted free agent has looked serviceable in Chicago and has some flair.
5. Tanner McKee: A few cynical fans thought the Eagles should give McKee a shot when starter Jalen Hurts struggled. Then McKee struggled in the regular-season finale. He is 6-foot-6 and might show more in a larger sample size.
Wild Card: Zach Wilson
The Jets’ former No. 2 overall pick makes sense. Is it possible that the player the Jets drafted to replace Sam Darnold could be the next Sam Darnold? He’s a guy with talent who would be considered a longshot to win but might have upside. A possible Jets-related fan riot is the major downside.
