SEPTEMBER 13: The Jets are unlikely to add a quarterback this week, Cimini tweets. As they prepare to face a top-tier Cowboys defense, the Jets are gearing up to head into that game with a Wilson-Boyle depth chart. While Saleh said he would he “shocked” if Rodgers retired after this injury, Cimini adds, the eventual first-ballot Canton inductee is out of the picture until 2024. No surgery date has emerged yet.
SEPTEMBER 12: Aaron Rodgers‘ historically short cameo this season leaves the Jets back with Zach Wilson as their starting quarterback. Although the team aggressively chased veteran passers — in a search that produced Rodgers — this offseason to avoid Wilson returning as QB1, the future Hall of Famer’s Achilles tear leaves the much-hyped team scrambling.
While Wilson is back in place atop the Jets’ depth chart, team brass is meeting to discuss options at the position. The team has already begun to reach out to free agent signal-callers, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini tweets. As should be expected, representatives for a number of free agent options have contacted the Jets, Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager adds. The Jets are only planning for an outside addition to fill out the QB room, with Robert Saleh clarifying Wilson will be the starter.
“I want to make it very clear: Zach’s our quarterback,” Saleh said, via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. “We have a lot of faith in Zach. We’re rolling with Zach and excited for him. … Under no circumstances is any of this a competition. This is Zach’s team and we’re rolling with Zach.”
Former Rodgers Green Bay backup Tim Boyle is the only other QB with the Jets presently, and Saleh confirmed he will become the backup. The team let Mike White walk in free agency; the two-year Jets spot starter who eventually moved past Wilson on the depth chart is now Tua Tagovailoa‘s Dolphins backup. Joe Flacco was part of the Jets’ QB room for three seasons, including Saleh’s first two. The former Super Bowl MVP has expressed interest in continuing his career, and ESPN’s Rich Cimini notes the 15-year veteran is interested in coming back. Nothing has transpired on this front just yet, however, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson.
Flacco, 38, would seemingly be an option, though the Mike LaFleur-to-Nathaniel Hackett switch may be a hurdle here. But GM Joe Douglas having brought in Flacco, whom he worked while a scout with in Baltimore, would count in the ex-Ravens cornerstone’s favor. Douglas was also with the Eagles when they traded up for Carson Wentz and during Nick Foles‘ second stint with the team.
Three teams have jettisoned Wentz over the past three offseasons; the former No. 2 overall pick has been working out preparing for another opportunity since his Commanders exit. The Colts cut Foles, 34, in May. Neither has been tied to a team since their respective releases. At this juncture, both would qualify as logical emergency options. Wentz would represent the better chance to replace Wilson, having been a starter throughout his career. Colt McCoy, whom the Cardinals recently released, is also unattached. McCoy came up as a potential Patriots option but has not signed with a team since his Arizona exit.
The team has inquired about Chad Henne, per Schultz. The four-year Chiefs backup retired after Super Bowl LVII, but he has worked in Hackett’s system before. Henne’s time with the Jaguars overlapped with Hackett’s. Hackett coached Henne from 2016-18, working as Jacksonville’s OC. Henne turned 38 shortly after his retirement announcement.
Colin Kaepernick‘s agent has reached out to the Jets as well, The Score’s Jordan Schultz tweets. While Saleh and Kaepernick technically overlapped with the 49ers, that brief period did not involve any game action. The 49ers were set to release the polarizing passer had he not opted out of his contract in March 2017; that sequence came less than a month after Kyle Shanahan hired Saleh. Despite having not played since the 2016 season, the exiled QB has continued to work out in hopes of resuming his career. Considering how long it has been since Kaepernick played in the NFL, he is not a realistic option at this point.
The 49ers were prepared to pull Philip Rivers out of a multiyear retirement in February, had they somehow upended the Eagles after Brock Purdy‘s injury and advanced to Super Bowl LVII. The former Chargers great is now 41. Matt Ryan did not close the door on returning, but the 2022 Colts starter is now at CBS and did not show good form last season.
Tom Brady collected his seventh Super Bowl ring by joining a team with a talented defense and young skill-position talents. Unlike Brady retirement No. 1, the all-time great is a free agent. The 46-year-old icon has said repeatedly this year he is done, and while this would be an intriguing opportunity for a quarterback who was open to playing an age-46 season late last year, SI.com’s Albert Breer views each of the longtime starters as unlikely options.
Rodgers’ injury development is eerily similar to the one that wrecked the Jets’ 1999 season. Following an AFC championship game berth, the Jets lost starter Vinny Testaverde to an Achilles tear in Week 1 of the ’99 campaign. The team used former No. 2 overall pick Rick Mirer, who had washed out with the Seahawks, as its starter soon after. Mirer had arrived via trade that August. The team eventually benched Mirer for mobile third-stringer Ray Lucas, who ended up starting nine games that year. The Jets finished 8-8 in Bill Parcells‘ third and final year at the helm; Testaverde returned to retake the reins in 2000.
Wilson struggled mightily last season and ended up being benched for White midway through. Issues in the locker room were rumored to have contributed to the benching. Although Wilson ended up moving back into the backup role to fill in for an injured White in Week 16, a woeful showing against the Jaguars cemented the Jets’ pursuit of veteran options this offseason. The team resisted on adding a veteran backup behind Rodgers, with the trade rumors surrounding Wilson ending up unfounded. The former No. 2 pick is awkwardly back in the Jets’ top spot, but it will be interesting to see if a starter-caliber veteran arrives and eventually pushes the underwhelming investment for playing time.
If they can tread water for a few games maybe they can trade an underperforming team picks for their qb
If there’s any psyche left in Zach after Dallas tears him apart, Belichick will kill the rest of it in week 3. This team is dead in the water
Not with that defense.
Defense will keep the score low. The offense will keep the score low because Zach sucks.
They’re reaching out to all FA QB’s, Who have all now turned the ringers off their phones.
Why wait for a few games?
Just ask The Raiders for Jimmy Garoppolo now…..
Case Keenum.
ya him or Mccoy.
wouldn’t expect anything crazy.
I’d really like to see Luis Perez get a call
Won’t be McCoy. His arm didn’t look right this preseason. Really struggled to throw ball 10+yards.
Wentz or Mills
Send Texans a 5th. You get Mills and a 7th. Call it a day.
we know the Jets get pushed around in negotiations too , so Houston could keep the 7th
Fitzpatrick. A little Fitz Magic time
The Draft Kings commercials are pretty good.
I’d think Wentz or Flacco would be the most likely. If they wanted a depth piece that is familiar with Hackett’s offense, Jarrett Guarantano could be an option.
forgot about Wentz.
he makes a lot of sense too
skill wise the guys up there .. injury wise and attitude wise.. the guys up there 😉
I mean props to Kaep for continuing to hold on to the dream I guess, but at this point it just sounds desperate
Yeah it’s a bummer he was b-balled from the league but I also feel like his window has passed since it’s been forever.
They should honestly back up the Brinks truck for Brady and whatever else he demands. I don’t really see any other option that would be immensely better than Wilson.
Happens when you can’t beat out Blaine Gabbert. I’m sure he’s a nice guy but as a QB 58.4%, 60.5%, 59% 59.2% wasn’t gonna cut it.
I wonder what could of been had he tried to change positions like Logan Thomas Terrell Pryor Jakobi Meyers etc.
he’s def not a nice guy
u should see what he said about his own step parents
Make no mistake they’re just as psycho as he is
I think McCoy or Wentz should change positions now. They’re definitely NOT taking anybody near a Super Bowl as qb’s.
dezpoo Yeah it’s absolutely over for Kap, and just a ‘why not?’ thing to have his agent still reaching out to teams just in case. In game shape or not, he’s still been out of the league for a long time, is now 35, and didn’t look that great when he last played.
It’s unlikely that some of his athleticism and mobility haven’t faded by 35, you don’t see old running QB’s. Defenses would feast on an old slow pocket passing version of Kap.
just be a distraction too with Wilson looking decent week 1
maybe even Wentz would be a distraction
Mccoy/Mills/Keenum to compete a lil and call it a day.
they have to get behind Zach Wilson whether it works out or not .. just the cards they’ve been dealt
Doubt they can make the money work but Kirko Chainz should be available soon.
Let’s see N Hackett do something w/o Rodgers. He hasn’t yet. But always told how he’s such a brilliant OC. No different than Josh McDaniels w/o Tom.
Lol!
This team spent the entire offseason chasing every QB available. They are not feeling good with Wilson.
He won last night.
Excellent point.
The Jets should just stick to that script. That should work really well.
Right?
Lmao bingo dude wait til they have to face a good team like buffa…
Hey dopey. They beat your bills last night with that script of making your QB look like a rookie. Maybe talk smack after you win a game
Yeah. Ok guy.
Its funny how the Jets haven’t won a playoff game – let alone make one – in years – and you have the confidence to talk smack after a single game.
Love it.
What did I say that was incorrect? Im not talking smack, I stating facts.
think the Jets win the division now do ya? Are you the champs now?
You know better. What I said was accurate. Sorry if your feelings are hurt.
the Jets won but they were very lucky. The Bills have Josh Allen and he is a top 3 QB. I think Zach deserves a bit more time and the Jets have to open up their offense some more. I think Zach will be fine.
Pretty crazy that Bills fans, who haven’t won anything ever, are coming at the throat of Jets fans right now. If Zach Wilson had done what Josh Allen did last night, he would be getting crushed, absolutely destroyed. Rodgers exits stage left. The bills STILL can’t run the ball. Kincaid is going to be the #2 receiver because Davis and company aren’t good enough (you need more Khalil Shakur IMO). Other than the year where the defense gave up 50 yards in 10 seconds against the chiefs and consequently the game winning FG, this current bills team has underachieved. And when Allen’s contract kicks in, they’ll have to be savvy AF to remain at this level.
It was Whitehead and Gibson who won for the Jets
It wouldn’t be the sexiest move but they should be checking with the Panthers to see if Andy Dalton is available.
I’m sure they like having a veteran influence for Bryce Young but something would have to go terribly wrong for Dalton to play meaningful snaps for them. And obviously Reich has been a quarterback in the league so he’s probably been just as influential in mentoring him.
That would be a great move.
The two best options, in my mind, won’t be available. The Panthers and Colts have, rightfully, decided to hold on to solid veteran backups in Minshew and Dalton, and both were signed specifically for this season to provide assurance for highly priced rookies. It seems that all the best backups this year are newly signed (the two mentioned above, and the Jets’ own former backup in Mike White). You figure that newly signed players will stay put, especially if they’re backing up a rookie. I think that those two would be the most ideal, in the best possible scenario.
That leaves a few players who have been in one place a while, or teams that think they’re set without them. Someone like Kyle Trask in Tampa doesn’t seem likely, because he still feels like he has a future there. Someone like Cooper Rush in Dallas is an interesting option. He has proven that he can handle several starts in a season, and the recent trade for Lance gives the Cowboys another option, if an unproven and newer one. The other side of this is, of course, that Dallas really likes Rush, and apparently Jerry made that trade himself. If Stephen or the coaches don’t like Lance alone as a backup, keeping Rush as a backup becomes more important. The counter to THAT, of course, is that Jerry doesn’t need their permission, and if he has a chance to regain his lost pick, he might do it.
At the end of the day, it’ll be Wilson’s performance that dictates how desperate the Jets will be. If he is at least average, giving up picks to convince a team to give up a valuable backup becomes harder to justify, and a free agent could do the trick (Colt McCoy fits the profile, despite his diminished abilities, simply due to his recent opportunities, or Flacco, due to familiarity. There are other, possibly better, ones too). If he’s bad, then the need might become more apparent. Thing is, everyone knows that New York wants to compete, and that they had a lot invested in Rodgers this year. There won’t be anything disguising that need, which may make things more difficult for the Jets trade-wise, especially at the beginning of the year when teams are still feeling things out. But, you never know, some GMs are chance takers…
Will Kaepernick ever shut the heck up?
Nope. He’s milking every fragment of publicity and pity he can. Remember, his adoptive parents are racists.
I see that the Jets formally announced putting Rodgers on the IR, but they haven’t announced a corresponding move yet. I’m guessing they plan to use their elevations of Tim Boyle while whomever they sign takes the roster spot as the emergency QB while learning the system.
Ya’all can have 3rd overall draft pick Trey Lance for a 2nd and 4th rounder.
~Jerry Jones
Jerry would ask for a 1st and laugh
He wouldn’t be the only one laughing
You mean SF 4th string QB now Dallas 3rd string QB? I’m sure the Jets will pass, they need a QB1 or QB2 not another guy that can’t get it done at this position in the NFL.
If they really and truly believe in Wilson, Flacco is the move you make. Wilson will have bad games, but people won’t be calling for Flacco when he does. Joe’s been with the team though, and truth is it doesn’t matter who you put back there, the formula this season for the Jets is now going to be run the ball and play great defense. It’s Miami’s division however, and I’m not sure yet what to make of Buffalo.
Flacco is trash. Has been for the past few seasons at least. We couldn’t win with him last year we can’t win with him this year
Richard Todd
Get me Heinicke….guy is a gamer
Send a first to LA for Stafford.
The Jets should sign Tim Jackson. He’s a Free Agent.
So is Kaepernick. Doesn’t make him a good choice
Trade for Kyle Trask of Tampa. The kid beat out Mayfield but Mayfield was promised the starting job when he signed with the Yucs. Trask is huge and played great against the Jets in preseason. Could be a franchise quarterback!
Gonna trade for Stafford. Will end similarly (hurt QB), but it makes too much sense for both teams.
So the Jets are saying they have confidence in Wilson just as the Niners said they had confidence in Lance? When you continually insult fans intelligence you leave yourself with no credibility at all.
If they want to trade for someone rather than picking up a guy off the street, the Saints probably wouldn’t take much convincing to get Jameis Winston off their books & he’s got more upside with the offensive weapons the Jets have have than any free agent they could sign. Of course, he also has a lot of potential downside depending on how much he likes throwing to the other team, but in terms of actually moving the ball down the field, I like him over Wentz & the rest of the retread gang.
How long is Kaepernick’s name going to keep being dragged up? He was 3-16 over 2015-16, completion % below 60% so he’s not accurate, he didn’t as much as Daniel Jones and didn’t even throw for as many touchdowns as him either. He was awful then and as I recall, losing his job to BLAINE GABBERT. That alone should keep you from coming back. Ever.
May as well throw Brett Favre’s name out there while we’re out here, geez.
Hopefully they get a few more wins this season. I’d hate to see Caleb get drafted by them
Where’s Tim Tebow when you need him?
Kaep !!!
Seriously, the underrated Sam Ehlinger would be a fit.
Johnny U !
Ben Dinucci
What about Zappe, Mills, Trask, or Stidham??? I don’t think Atlanta is trading Heinicke with playoff aspirations and with how up and down Ridder has been.
I don’t think I’ve heard anyone mention Zappe, but he was pretty good in that God awful Patriots offense last season. Any QB that shows some promise during that train wreck is at least capable of being a decent starter imo.
Jarrett Stidham has looked at least passable as an NFL QB, and right now, that’s more than the Jets can say for Wilson. Stidham actually torched the 49ers defense last year, and not too many QBs have been able to make that claim lately..That is something lol
Stidham is backing up Russ in Denver I believe. He was suited up and on their sideline on Sunday.
Stidham was outplayed by DiNucci in the preseason but are stuck with him due to his $10mil contract.
Zappe is on the Patriots active roster, they don’t trade with us
Mills bombed in Houston, he won’t be much better in New York
Why would Tampa trade Trask?
Stidham… just no
They should jump on Johnny Manziel.
Andrew Luck…..
The guy who retired because his offensive line was going to get him killed? Playing behind a line that’s already gotten one star qb killed so far?
Brissett doesn’t turn the ball over