What Are The Jets’ Options At Quarterback After Aaron Rodgers’ Injury?

Not good, to answer the question in the headline. 

After months of buildup and Super Bowl hype, everything came crashing down for the Jets on their fourth play of the first game of the season when QB Aaron Rodgers went down with what in all likelihood appears to be a season-ending Achilles tear. 

If the NFL was scripted, you could not write a crueler beginning to the 2023 season for one of the NFL’s most long-suffering fanbases. 

But the show must go on. In stepped Jets QB Zach Wilson, who didn’t look substantially better than he did last year when he was benched for Chris Streveler at the end of the year. Yet thanks to a heroic performance by the defense and special teams and a brain-dead performance from Bills QB Josh Allen, the Jets eked out an overtime win. 

Now their attention turns to the other 16 games on the schedule and how to salvage what they can. No matter what, the Jets need to add a quarterback, as former third-stringer Tim Boyle is the only other passer on the roster and Rodgers’ injury creates a need for depth at the minimum. They need an upgrade at starter over Wilson, too, but at this point in the year, their options are limited. 

Option 1: Roll with Zach Wilson

This is what the Jets will do for at least the short term, as HC Robert Saleh indicated after the game. New York elected to rely on Wilson as the primary backup during training camp and the preseason. And while Wilson looked like the same guy who forced the Jets to bench the former No. 2 pick and pursue a major trade for Rodgers, the team has no other choice but to start him for at least a couple more weeks. It’s not realistic to get anyone else in and up to speed with the playbook in time to start in Week 2. 

The Jets are already throwing their public support behind Wilson as the new starting quarterback. The reality is they have to do this, especially for a player who has battled confidence issues, and they will quietly explore all their options for the remainder of 2023. Anything is possible of course, but the odds of Wilson starting the rest of the way for the Jets are not good.

Wilson desperately needed the reset behind an experienced veteran like Rodgers to rebuild the confidence that was shattered last season and drill down on rebuilding his game from the ground up. When pressed into action Monday, he looked like the same player. His interception was a horrendous read over the middle where he failed to account for the underneath coverage. He once again held onto the ball too long and nearly gave Peyton Manning an aneurysm running backward and throwing across his body on multiple plays. Even his touchdown pass was on course to be an interception before WR Garrett Wilson tipped it back to himself to make the best catch by a New York receiver since Odell Beckham. 

Still, this is the boat the Jets are in. Anyone new would realistically need at least a week, probably more, to learn enough of the system and get acclimated to play. So the Jets are probably looking at two or three more games minimum with Wilson under center. 

Next up for the Jets and Wilson is a Cowboys team that just dropped 40 points on the crosstown Giants and took down QB Daniel Jones seven times. It’s hard to see it not going poorly for the Jets, too. Week 3 the Patriots come to town, then the Chiefs in Week 4. Week 5 is a primetime game against the Broncos followed by the Eagles in Week 6 before a Week 7 bye. 

That was a tough schedule even when the team had Rodgers. 

Option 2: Go after a big-name veteran

The biggest name here is obviously Tom Brady. And I don’t need to have any sources to say the Jets will probably check in with Brady’s agent to gauge his interest. They have a talented team and the location in New York could work well for Brady at this stage in his life where he’s trying to be closer to his children. Brady is also available to sign, as no team controls his rights. 

But it’s a long shot. Brady seems to be retired for good and has thrown himself into more time with his family and other business pursuits. His status as a minority owner with the Raiders is also a complicating factor, as there would be some bureaucratic hurdles to clear before he’d be able to return to play. 

So the Jets will need to turn their attention elsewhere. Some of the other big names currently available to sign include Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan and Philip Rivers. Ryan and Rivers are doubtful, as Rivers has been out of football for a few years now and the last time we saw Ryan behind a shaky offensive line, he looked pretty cooked. 

Wentz is a little more interesting, as Jets GM Joe Douglas has some familiarity with him from his time with the Eagles. He has plenty of starting experience and has reportedly been keeping himself in shape while being open to other opportunities. He does not have familiarity with OC Nathaniel Hackett, which is a major negative, but he has run a West Coast offense at a few different places in his career. 

There’s a reason no one has signed Wentz to this point of course, and that’s because the last three years have pretty conclusively demonstrated he shouldn’t be relied upon as a franchise quarterback. Still, the Jets’ options are pretty bleak at this point. I can easily see Douglas and Saleh talking themselves into signing Wentz and giving him a few weeks to learn the playbook, perhaps taking over after the bye if the defense can keep the team afloat. 

I have to mention a few other names, though they are unlikely. Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick and Andrew Luck have all been out of football long enough at this point that they’re probably not viewed as realistic options. Luck definitely doesn’t want to play. Newton and Kaepernick seem to have been staying in shape in case an opportunity comes along at least. Newton is the more realistic option of the two but that’s still less than a one percent chance. 

Option 3: Sift through Hackett’s Rolodex & available free-agent QBs

One way to shorten the ramp-up time a new quarterback would need is to find someone who already knows a chunk of Hackett’s playbook. The challenge is that the list of players who are options for the Jets and have worked with Hackett in the past is short. Rodgers and Boyle were two of the notable ones and they’re already on the roster. Rams QB Brett Rypien was the backup for Hackett in Denver last year but he’s probably about the same as Boyle. If we go back to Hackett’s time with the Jaguars, Blake Bortles is the big name. But he hasn’t played since 2019. Chad Henne, the backup to Bortles in 2017, might be more realistic but he just retired this offseason. 

There are a plethora of quarterbacks available as free agents right now and the Jets will comb through this group. It’d be a stretch to call these guys “big-name” veterans but they’re all at least notable and the Jets will likely explore their options with this group: 

• Nick Foles: Checks the box of being familiar with Douglas and having a lot of starting experience. 
• Joe Flacco: Hasn’t played for Hackett but has played with a lot of the current Jets players and brings valuable experience. Saleh has called Flacco a starting-level quarterback in the past, but the fact that he’s not on the roster now should tell you how sincere those comments were. Still, he’s not the worst option. 
• Colt McCoy: Injuries are a concern. 
• Trevor Siemian: Some experience with the Jets in the past (not with Hackett) but realistically more of a veteran backup option. 
• P.J. Walker: Some recent starting experience and more dynamic than some of their other options. 

Option 4: Trade

I have this as the least likely option for a few reasons. Signing a player will be infinitely easier for the Jets who won’t have to negotiate with another team looking to capitalize on New York’s desperation. Most of the trade options aren’t definitively upgrades, or at least major upgrades, over what’s available in free agency either. 

Still, the Jets will do their homework and it’s possible they could end up pulling the trigger on a deal. Here’s a list of some guys who could interest them. Just remember as you’re reading this list that the Jets will be weighing giving up a third or fourth-round pick for someone on this list versus signing someone like Flacco off the street… 

• Buccaneers QB Kyle Trask: Lost the competition with the starting job to QB Baker Mayfield so perhaps Tampa Bay would listen to offers even though he has one more year on his rookie deal. 
• Colts QB Gardner Minshew: Could be expendable with the team rolling with first-round QB Anthony Richardson. 
• Eagles QB Marcus Mariota: Perhaps Philadelphia is more willing to entrust the backup job to sixth-round QB Tanner McKee after a strong preseason by the rookie and a lackluster one by Mariota. But doubtful. 
• Panthers QB Andy Dalton: The team values his experience behind first-round QB Bryce Young but they also need to recoup draft capital and QB coach Josh McCown could fill in the experience gap. 
• Saints QB Jameis Winston: The Saints could turn to Taysom Hill as the primary backup and will get fourth-round QB Jake Haener back from suspension after six games for more depth. Winston has considerable starting experience but no familiarity with Hackett and might not fit what the Jets are looking for, as they just need a game manager who can rely on a strong defense and running game. 
• Seahawks QB Drew Lock: If the Jets blew Seattle’s doors off with the asking price, I’m sure they’d listen. They really love Lock, though. 
• Steelers QB Mitchell Trubisky/Mason Rudolph: Pittsburgh is the rare team with the luxury of depth at quarterback. 
• Texans QB Case Keenum: Checks the box of veteran experience but Houston has already rebuffed interest in Keenum. 
• Titans QB Ryan Tannehill: Hasn’t played for Hackett but does know Jets assistants Todd Downing and Keith Carter. Poor start to the 2023 season, which is a contract year, but Tennessee might not be ready to turn the page to the youngsters yet. 

You might notice Rams QB Matthew Stafford is missing from this list. The Jets inquired with Los Angeles about Stafford this offseason as they were in limbo with Rodgers and the Packers. They could revisit that but the Rams will almost certainly shut them down again the same they reportedly did then. Stafford looked great in Week 1 and the Rams could make some noise in the NFC.

Even if they were willing to trade Stafford, the Rams would almost certainly ask for a similar package to what they gave up to acquire the veteran. That’s a steep ask for the Jets to give up for another aging veteran with health concerns who hasn’t played in their system and doesn’t have the benefit of a full offseason to get up to speed. 

TL;DR

In order, these are probably the Jets’ best/most realistic options at quarterback:

1. Start Zach Wilson until they can’t. 
2. Sign one or two out of Flacco/Foles/Wentz. 
3. Cross your fingers that the stars align and a certain veteran quarterback becomes available…whose last name rhymes with Mannehill.