The Jets want a fresh start – distance themselves from these last two years. They have a new coach (Aaron Glenn) and general manager (Darren Mougey). Those two are shaking up their respective staffs. Now, they’ll have a new quarterback, too.
The Jets will move on from Aaron Rodgers this offseason, as FOX Sports first reported on Sunday.
This was always the expected outcome. As SNY reported towards the end of the regular season: It was highly, highly unlikely Rodgers would return for the 2025 NFL season. Now, the team must find another quarterback.
Who will that quarterback be?
Here are some of the options New York could explore.
In house
Tyrod Taylor
There is an immense amount of respect for Taylor within the Jets locker room. He actually received some votes for captain this year. He can still play, too. While he didn’t see the field much last year, he went 2-3 in five starts with the Giants in 2023. That team was awful, yet Taylor completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 1,341 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. He’s an aggressive quarterback who loves to attack a defense deep.
The issue with Taylor is his propensity to hold the ball. That leads to excess hits and exposes his durability concerns. It seems unlikely the 36-year-old will make it through a season healthy.
Jordan Travis
The Jets hoped Travis could get on the field toward the end of training camp. That didn’t happen. That injury he suffered his final season at Florida State (fractured and dislocated ankle) was no joke.
There’s a lot to like about Travis as a prospect. He was in the Heisman discussion before that injury, finishing 2023 with 2,756 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He had 44 touchdowns and seven interceptions over his last two college seasons. Had Travis not gotten injured his ankle, the Jets believed he’d have been drafted in the third round.
Travis, in all likelihood, is still a developmental project. It’s hard to count on him for anything this season when he literally did nothing (practice, games) as a rookie.
Free agency
Sam Darnold
This one seems wildly unlikely. The Jets drafted Darnold, failed to protect him or surround him with talent, then shipped him off to the Panthers in favor of Zach Wilson. He’s the top free-agent option after a tremendous year (4,319 passing yards, 35 touchdowns, 12 interceptions) and will have other options.
Carson Wentz
Tanner Engstrand, the Jets new offensive coordinator, has a west-coast background. That’s what Wentz played in with Doug Pederson (Eagles) and now Andy Reid (Chiefs). The bigger issue is that Wentz isn’t very good. The Chiefs gave him a start in the season finale against the Broncos. He went 10-of-17 for 98 yards. Granted, he played with Kansas City’s other backups.
Justin Fields
This is among the most intriguing options and could be a nice pairing with Taylor. The last Jets regime wasn’t very high on Fields. That’s why they selected Wilson over him. They weren’t confident in his ability to process and get through his reads, or throw with anticipation. They felt he really struggled in the face of pressure. Some of that has played out through the early stages of his career. The Bears moved on from him (for Caleb Williams) and the Steelers benched him (for Russell Wilson).
There is still undeniable arm talent there, though, and his running ability would bring a new level to the Jets offense. Fields finished last season completing a career-high 65.8 percent of his passes. He had 1,106 passing yards, five touchdowns and an interception. He also ran for 289 yards and five scores.
Russell Wilson
This is an intriguing one. It’s long been rumored around NFL circles that Wilson and his wife Ciara would like to play in New York. It’s unlikely he’d bring much more than the Jets already have in Taylor, though, just with far less authenticity.
Other names: Marcus Mariota, Daniel Jones, Jacoby Brissett, Andy Dalton, Drew Lock, Mac Jones, Jimmy Garoppolo
Trade
Derek Carr, Saints
Carr, like Kirk Cousins below, could also end up cut. There’s actually an alternate reality where Carr is already the Jets quarterback. Their initial plan before adding Rodgers was to sign Carr in free agency, keep Mike LaFleur, and add Todd Downing as an advisor (Greg Knapp role). That went out the window when the Jets got wind Rodgers wanted to play for them.
Carr hasn’t been overly successful in his two Saints seasons. He went 9-8 as a starter in 2023, completing 68.4 percent of his passes with 3,878 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He played 10 games this past year completing 67.7 percent of his passes with 2,145 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. The eye test tells a different story than the numbers, though.
Kirk Cousins, Falcons
This season might have been Cousins' worst since he became a full-time starter in 2015. He completed 66.9 percent of his passes and threw for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 14 games. The Falcons benched him for rookie Michael Penix.
One Atlanta source said Cousins wasn’t totally right after injuring his Achilles in 2023 when playing with the Vikings. He was never an overly mobile quarterback. He became even less post-injury. Cousins also used to rely heavily on his base for arm strength. That, too, wasn’t the same.
The belief is some of that mobility and a lot of that arm strength will come back this season with Cousins another year removed from the Achilles. It could be an appealing option – especially if he’s released. Granted, the Jets wouldn’t be the only team vying for his services.
NFL Draft
Cam Ward (Miami) or Shedeur Sanders (Colorado)
Looping these two together because it would likely involve the Jets trading up from the No. 7 pick to either No. 1 (Titans) or 2 (Browns). The Browns likely will, and the Titans reportedly are, listening to offers. The Jets have a pretty sound roster already where they can afford to mortgage some draft capital to go get a guy if they believe in him.
The problem: Neither Ward or Sanders are worthy of a selection that high, having talked to multiple scouts and executives. A desperate team will still make the move. The Jets aren’t that desperate.
Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss)
Dart’s the hot name after the Senior Bowl. Most sources SNY touched base with still view him as a second- or third-round pick, but things are so fluid at this point in the draft process. Dart had a tremendous senior year at Ole Miss, throwing for 4,279 yards, 29 touchdowns and six interceptions. He completed 69.3 percent of his passes. He’s more raw than Ward and Sanders, which could make him an appealing option to draft and sit behind Taylor to begin the year.
