The big question surrounding the New York Jets this offseason is who will be the starting quarterback in 2023. The Jets are going to fight hard to land a veteran quarterback in what is becoming an extremely important season for the franchise. We know some of the options that are available, but which one is best for the team? This will focus on the presumed four top veteran options the Jets are expected to be in on and be available to them, so no Lamar Jackson, since it’s very unlikely he would be as available as the other quarterbacks.
1. Aaron Rodgers
Yes, Aaron Rodgers is almost 40 years old and wasn’t exactly at the top of his game in 2022. But this is still a multi-time NFL MVP that would give the Jets an exciting, polished quarterback for the first time in years, even with his age.
Of course, it’s well-known that it will be very costly to acquire Rodgers. Between the draft compensation and the contract, the Jets will have to pony up to bring the Super Bowl XLV champion to the Big Apple. Think a first-round pick and change plus a contract that still has about $100 million remaining on it, unless the Packers eat some of the money.
That said, it’s been noted already, including at Over the Cap, that a team can acquire Rodgers, restructure his contract and only have him count about $16 million against the cap in 2023 and possibly about $32 million in 2024. That would be a feasible option for the Jets.
However, there’s one big question that has to be answered before any of this can happen. Rodgers has to decide he wants to play in 2023 and decide he wants to play somewhere other than Green Bay. Then the Jets can make a play for him. And that likely won’t happen until at least March, so the Jets have to decide to they want to wait on Rodgers’ decision or make a play now for Derek Carr.
Jets’ owner Woody Johnson has said multiple times now he hopes for a veteran quarterback and that’s the position that needs the biggest boost. It seems like Rodgers is the apple of his eye. He’s tired of missing the playoffs and perhaps he feels Rodgers is the man to get that done.
2. Jimmy Garoppolo
Derek Carr may seem like the second-biggest fish in the pond, but Jimmy Garoppolo feels like a better fit both schematically and because of his connections with the coaching staff, namely head coach Robert Saleh. A quick history lesson for those new to the game: Saleh was defensive coordinator of the 49ers when Garoppolo led the team to Super Bowl LIV against the Chiefs.
While Saleh’s first offensive coordinator, Mike LaFleur, is gone, Nathaniel Hackett is in as the offensive coordinator. Hackett worked with Mike’s brother, Matt, in Green Bay. All have some sort of stem to the Mike Shanahan coaching tree and, to an extent, Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay.
Garoppolo has had his moments, both good and bad (we’ll never forget that third-down throw in the Super Bowl), but he won’t seem to make the kind of mistakes that Zach Wilson has before, meaning the offense could actually have more of a chance to move the ball thanks to their surrounding talent, namely Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall.
The advantage here over Rodgers as well is that the Jets won’t have to give up any draft compensation. Injury history is obviously a concerning factor here. Of course, the Jets have also yet to get a full season out of their former No. 2 overall pick from 2021.
Garoppolo feels on the same tier, maybe a tad higher than Carr and wouldn’t be as costly to acquire. The Jets could do worse than Garoppolo.
3. Derek Carr
Derek Carr has his own connection now to the Jets thanks to the team hiring Todd Downing as their new pass game coordinator. Downing was once Carr’s quarterbacks coach during Carr’s early years with the Raiders while the team was still in Oakland.
Carr is a fine quarterback. He’s definitely better than Zach Wilson. But there’s times you get the feeling Carr has left a lot on the table with his play. The offense could have been more explosive. Now, in Carr’s defense, the Raiders have been messy lately and Carr has played behind some horrendous offensive lines. Ideally, that wouldn’t be a problem with the Jets with Alijah Vera-Tucker and Mekhi Becton returning (and hopefully staying healthy).
It’s almost easy to forget that both Carr and Garoppolo were both drafted in the second round in 2014 and are about the same age — Carr turns 32 in March, Garoppolo turns 32 in November. So the contracts will be similar. Really, this is almost more of a 2A and 2B rather than a 2 and 3 ranking for Garoppolo and Carr.
The advantage Carr has now over the other quarterbacks is he can scour the market before anyone else. He was released by the Raiders, meaning he can sign with a team whenever he wants. He does not have to wait until March 15, unlike Garoppolo. The Jets will certainly be in on Carr but so will other teams. Do the Jets push hard for Carr or wait for the other options?
4. Ryan Tannehill
Among the presumed top four options expected to be available for the Jets, it seems safe to say just about everyone would rank Ryan Tannehill as the fourth option. Tannehill took a sharp downturn in 2022 and took the Titans down with him. Derrick Henry tried carrying the offense but even he can only do so much.
Like Carr, Tannehill also has a connection to the newly-hired Todd Downing. He was the offensive coordinator for the Titans before a November DUI spelled the end of Downing’s time in Tennessee.
There’s also not even a guarantee Tannehill will even be available. He’s considered because the Titans could cut Tannehill and save almost $18 million in salary cap space by moving on.
Tannehill had the lowest expected points added (-1.0) among the four quarterbacks ranked here, ranking 28th and the only one that didn’t land in the top 25. Yes, that’s still a major improvement from Zach Wilson, who ranked 53rd at -3.8.
Tannehill feels like a last-resort effort for the Jets, an “if all else fails” option. The Jets may even look to the draft if the top three land elsewhere and especially if the Titans keep Tannehill, who would move the needle just ever so slightly from Wilson.
