Two teams reportedly tried to trade for New York Jets backup quarterback Bryce Petty this summer.
Sunday, before the New York Jets fell to the Buffalo Bills in their season opener, news broke that multiple teams had tried—unsuccessfully—to trade for backup quarterback Bryce Petty
As #Jets prepare to start Josh McCown today, worth noting: 2 teams inquired about trading for Bryce Petty this summer. NYJ wouldn’t deal him
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 10, 2017
While the report from NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport doesn’t name the interested parties, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the Jets decided to hold on to Petty for the time being.
For starters, the 26-year-old’s trade value isn’t very high. Any trade involving Petty would have likely yielded a late-round draft pick, which probably isn’t enticing enough for the Jets to pull the trigger.
Let’s not forget, the Jets also have big questions at the quarterback position.
Josh McCown, the team’s starter, is 38 years old and has never played a full season in the NFL. Due to his injury history, it’s safe to assume that McCown will not start every game this season for Gang Green.
The other quarterback on the roster, Christian Hackenberg, doesn’t appear ready to be the team’s starting QB. A second-round pick by the Jets in the 2016 NFL draft, Hackenberg struggled in his limited preseason action and still needs time to develop.
Keeping Petty around not only gives the Jets insurance against McCown going down with an injury but gives the team more time to evaluate whether he’s a potential starter down the road. Clearly, the team hasn’t given up on him as becoming that guy.
In six games (four starts) last season, Petty completed 75-of-133 passes for 809 yards and three touchdowns. Turnovers were an issue, however, as he threw seven interceptions and lost one fumble.
