The New York Jets‘ quarterback situation is uncertain yet again, raising the interesting question: Who is going to be the starter?
At least we know that it won’t be Ryan Fitzpatrick — a huge relief for New York Jets fans who witnessed FitzTragic more so than FitzMagic this past season.Next season, the Jets currently only have two quarterbacks signed in Bryce Petty and rookie Christian Hackenberg. The other two quarterbacks that were on the roster, Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith, are likely goners.
NEXT: Should the New York Jets draft another quarterback?
The Fitzpatrick reclamation project was a failure. After capturing lightning in the bottle last year, the Jets tried to do it again.
Fitzpatrick had the third-most interceptions in the league while maintaining the second lowest completion percentage and third least yards per attempt.
The journeyman also had the lowest quarterback rating of all qualifying quarterbacks in 2016 and it was a $12 million dollar mistake that, apparently, no one in the Jets front office is willing to regret.
“With Ryan, when you look back on that one,” said Jets general manager, Mike Maccagnan, via the New York Jets Media Relations Department. “I felt comfortable signing Ryan when we signed him coming off the 2015 season at that time. Obviously, I think Ryan would say the same thing. I think he holds himself to a high standard. It was unfortunate. We weren’t, as a team, able to recreate some of the success we had the previous season. But from that standpoint, when we made the deal, looking forward, I thought that was an important part of the team to bring back and keep in place.”
“Do I regret that? No, Jets’ CEO, Woody Johnson also said. “Because it looked like the right decision at the time that we did it. I have a lot of respect for him as a quarterback and as a person. No, I don’t have any regrets.”
You can’t blame the Jets for trying, but now it’s time to accept that it failed and move on. So, should the Jets draft another quarterback? That’d make it the fifth time in six years that they drafted a passer.
It’s not usually recommended to have three young guys battling it out. That would be a bit unorthodox. But to be honest, there’s nothing orthodox about the Jets and the way they develop quarterbacks.
As we discovered during the 2016 season, the Jets aren’t just a quarterback away from the promised land. The more fruitful option would be to build through the draft.
The Jets have a lot of areas of need: offensive line, secondary and linebacker/edge. They could fill those holes with a draft pick and a vet or two.
Which brings us to the meat and potatoes of this conversation: Who should the Jets chase? Let’s go through some of the options that could be available, one way or another:
5. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
The top option among the message boards around the globe is cast-off Cowboys star, Tony Romo.
The lone issue Romo has dealt with over the last several years is durability. How could he possibly be an option? The Jets offensive line is currently a mess, but they have time to fix it.
If Gang Green can sign a capable left tackle, restructure Nick Mangold, re-sign Brian Winters and plug Brandon Shell at right tackle, then maybe they could bring Romo in. Outside of that, they better have a good backup quarterback, because Romo isn’t going to last.
What would it cost the Jets? Most likely, a potential late draft pick compensation and restructured contract (cap hit). It would put the Jets in a win-now mindset. That’s not necessarily indicative that the Jets would be a win-now team, but the only reason you bring in Romo is if you’re really chasing the playoffs.
4. Geno Smith, New York Jets
What about Geno Smith? He’s going to be a free agent in March and his chances were taken away from him the last two seasons.
In the first year he was supposed to be the guy, he got sucker-punched and never saw the field. This season he had another chance to prove that he could be the guy, and instead, he tore his ACL and got shelved.
He’s still relatively young, 26, and if this is a true rebuild like people speculate, then they need somebody to play quarterback. Why not let it be someone who could blow up and be the guy instead of just a stopgap until you have a better option?
But should Smith run away from NY and never come back?
The Jets organization treated him like garbage and he was constantly thrown under the bus, but hey, you got to have thick skin to survive in Gotham.
This would probably be one of the most cost efficient moves the Jets pull off this offseason. Currently, the Jets are broke as a joke, but they could create some cap with the purge of the veterans on the roster. For a team that has a host of other needs, they should use that “extra money” in those other areas.
The only potential issue with this marriage is Smith’s timetable to return to the field. Mike Maccagnan, a guest on WFAN radio, said Geno Smith’s knee surgery is “probably scheduled to be back sometime around the start of next season because of when he was injured and the nature of the injury.”
3. Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers
This name often brings groans from the general fanbase. Whether it’s for his social justice stands or his play on the field, he’s a polarizing figure.
However, take a look at the above video; he was one pass away from a Super Bowl Championship. When was the last time a Jets quarterback who was that close?
None of these options are that attractive, but the Jets would be best served by a veteran that can step in and start. That would allow Christian Hackenberg to get another year on the bench adapting to the pro game.
Earlier this season Kaepernick and the 49ers came to a mutually agreed upon contract renegotiation. In that contract, Kaepernick will be able to opt out at the end of the season.
Which means he would probably come on the cheap. This is a similar option to Geno Smith, a young guy who has shown signs that he could give the Jets a little something.
2. Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars
It is hard to believe that a former top-three pick from the 2014 NFL Draft is actually on the block, but there’s a lot of talk around the league that he could be had and it may not cost as much as you’d think.
What do the Jets have to lose?
Whether Blake Bortles stays or goes will mostly depend on who is the next coach of the Jaguars. Almost inevitably, he progressed statistically in 2016 as the beneficiary of a favorable system and opportune situations.
The cost could be a mid-round pick and if that’s all they have to give, they should relent it. He’s got a rocket arm, even if it does produce an awkward delivery, and he’s ultra-talented.
For a guy who nearly threw back-to-back 4,000-yard-seasons, it’s hard to believe he could be available. If he could be had, the Jets would be crazy not to pursue it.
1. Tyrod Taylor, Buffalo Bills
This is the Jets best option if he’s able to escape from the Bills and his massive contract — which is a major “if” right now. He just had core muscle surgery that’ll keep him out for the next several weeks, if not months.
Tyrod Taylor has franchise quarterback ability, but his sample size isn’t all that large.
Perhaps in the right offensive system with the right pieces, he could blossom. How often do young quarterbacks become available like this? The cost would be purely financial and it would be interesting to see what Taylor would command on the open market.
While some of his stats are gaudy, stats aren’t everything. He often struggles on moving the chains, and offensively, the Bills went through a ton of stagnant stretches.