The New York Jets have their quarterback and it’s not the guy most fans wanted. Plus why this is double trouble with Josh McCown at the helm.
New York Jets were hit with a triple punch that snowballed one after the other on Tuesday that culminated in Josh McCown being named the starter for 2018. In an offseason that was supposed to be filled with positivity has been negative nancy so far.
Kirk Cousins plans to sign a three-year, fully-guaranteed contract from the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday, sources tell ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 13, 2018
The first bit of news wasn’t surprising, but it certainly didn’t make Jets fans feel good. It’s like when your 100-year old grandma dies, you knew it was coming, but it still sucks.
The Jets missed out on a lot of the early action of free agency because they were waiting on Cousins answer, which isn’t official yet but was widely reported that he was headed to the Vikings. Which left the Jets in a precarious position, despite holding the most cap space in the league.
One year, $10m for Josh McCown to go back to the Jets, source says
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 13, 2018
So the Jets backup option, if Kirk Cousins didn’t work out, wasn’t what fans were hoping for. Gang green announced that they had re-signed their 38 (soon to be 39) year old quarterback to a one-year $10 million deal in Josh McCown.
Okay, the Jets need a veteran quarterback so why not make it the one who had a great rapport with the team last year. Or at least that was what the optimistic Jets fans were saying up until Calvin Watkins of Newsday tweeted out this not so fun fact on the side effects of the new deal.
A source tells @NewsdaySports Josh McCown has been told he will be the starter, however, interest in Teddy Bridgewater remains.
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) March 13, 2018
This screams one of two things: complacency or logic. I’m still trying to decipher which it is. Complacency by believing that McCown can have another career-year at his ripe age as it pertains to health and performance.
McCown has never completed a full season in his career. So sure he can be the starter, but inevitably the job will go to whoever is second in command. Which would eradicate the promise of the starting job because, in theory, it would be a half-promise.
Regardless the Jets are holding a bunch of money and refused to overpay for players which is bittersweet. When your team is 5-11 and hasn’t been to the postseason since 2010, sometimes you have to overpay.
