It wasn’t quite a worst case scenario for the New York Jets in Week 1, but it was close. Aaron Rodgers only lasted four plays in his franchise debut before being helped off the field due to a lower leg injury. He was taken to the locker room, and while x-rays were reportedly negative, he was ruled out for the rest of an important opening week showdown with the Buffalo Bills.
An MRI awaits, and it’s unclear just how much more time, if any, the four-time MVP will miss. If he’s out for an extended stretch, it’s a problem.
The team’s backup is Zach Wilson. The third-year pro brings two seasons of starting experience to the lineup but also an 8-14 record, 15:19 touchdown/interception ratio and the lingering knowledge that, yep, his teammates were the ones very publicly clamoring for the team to replace him with Rodgers, then celebrating the four-time MVP’s arrival.
Wilson knows the playbook and will be the team’s top quarterback should Rodgers miss multiple starts. Per head coach Robert Saleh, that’s the current plan.
Zach Wilson will be the #Jets starter the rest of the season, Robert Saleh said.
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) September 12, 2023
After him, things get murky.
There’s a third-string option on the practice squad. Tim Boyle began his career as Rodgers’ backup for three seasons despite an underwhelming college resume that saw him compile a 12:26 touchdown/interception ratio at noted quarterback academies Connecticut and Eastern Kentucky. He has been similarly unimpressive as a pro (0-3 as a starter, 55.8 passer rating).
This leaves space for the Jets to add a veteran quarterback as an insurance policy for Wilson, who has missed a dozen games his first two seasons thanks to a combination of injury and incompetence. The pickings on the current free agent and practice squad market are thin, however. So who stands out among the dregs?
Update, 9/12: Aaron Rodgers is out for the season with a torn Achilles.
An MRI confirmed today that Aaron Rodgers officially tore his Achilles on the fourth play of his Jets’ career.
Rodgers’ season now, officially, is over. There already are questions about whether his Hall-of-Fame career is, too.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 12, 2023
1
Colt McCoy
The Arizona Cardinals didn’t want him, but that likely has more to do with their ongoing tank job than any damning judgment of his talent. McCoy isn’t going to wow anyone, but he’s a proper backup capable of producing roughly replacement level quarterbacking behind center. His -0.005 EPA/play since 2021 is significantly ahead of Wilson’s -0.114 (in fairness, everyone’s is. Of 49 quarterbacks to play at least 200 snaps in that span, Wilson is by far the worst).
Over the last five season, McCoy has completed nearly 68 percent of his passes — albeit with only eight touchdown passes and nine interceptions across 11 starts. He’s not sexy, but he’s stable. With the Jets’ defense as powerful as it is, that may be enough to keep this team afloat while Rodgers’ rehabilitates.
2
Carson Wentz
Yeah, it’s rough out there. Wentz’s star has fallen so dramatically he didn’t even get a contract offer last offseason. Fortunately for the Jets, he’s stayed in game shape by practicing in a technicolor dream coat of practice gear (the dream is one where all your teeth fall out and you’re unable to run).
Wentz has declined significantly since an ACL tear ruined an MVP-adjacent 2017 season with the Philadelphia Eagles. His time as an Indianapolis Colt ended when he couldn’t defeat the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars with a playoff bid on the line in 2021. His 2022 season with the Washington Commanders saw him rank 33rd out of 37 qualified quarterbacks in expected points added (EPA) per play, via RBSDM.com.
Wentz completed 62 percent of his passes in Washington but that figure drops to 41 percent if you single out the throws that traveled 20-plus yards downfield. He doesn’t bring much in terms of a deep ball and averaged better than an interception per game in two of his last three seasons. He may just be ginger Zach Wilson at this point in his career.
3
Joe Flacco
If New York wants a familiar face they can turn to Flacco, who is now 38-years-old and spent this offseason unsigned. Like Wilson, he knows the team’s offense. Unlike Wilson, he has a passer rating above 80.0 as a Jet.
But Flacco looked washed last season and it’s unlikely another trip around the sun did him any favors. While Wilson ranked 35th in EPA/play last season (-0.073), Flacco was even worse (-0.084).
Less than nine percent of Flacco’s passes last season were deep balls (20-plus yards downfield). He’s less mobile than Rodgers and may actually shatter into tiny pieces if faced with the Bills pass rush. But he does know the playbook.
4
Josh Johnson (currently rostered by the Baltimore Ravens)
Johnson is currently Baltimore’s third quarterback, but could be reverted to the practice squad during the week and thus available for any team to sign as long as he’s promoted to their active roster. The 37-year-old’s stint with the Jets in 2021 was the most productive of his career. If he’s made available, he could return for an encore.
Of course, the limitations are clear. There’s a reason he’s played for 16 teams across four professional football leagues in a storied and difficult-to-care-about career. But he had two different 2021 games as the Jets’ primary quarterback in which he threw for 300-plus yards and multiple touchdowns. Wilson, in 22 starts has … two games with 300-plus yards and multiple touchdowns. Granted, both Johnson’s games ended in double-digit losses, but still, Beggars, choosers, etc.
5
Nick Foles
Foles is only 34-years-old and five years removed from a Super Bowl MVP. Of course, his passer rating drops by roughly a dozen points when you exclude performances as a Philadelphia Eagle from his resume. When we last saw him, he was getting hung out to dry by head coach Jeff Saturday’s Indianapolis Colts, a six-word sequence that remains brazenly stupid to type, let alone make a reality for an NFL franchise.
Foles had no chance for a Colts team with little impetus to win, but it’s clear he’s no longer the player he was at the peak of his powers. Could he still be better than Wilson? Tough call. Would he be a useful insurance policy? Well, you could do worse.
6
Tom Brady
Oh my god, yes.
(It’s not going to happen.)
