Aaron Rodgers is Jets' top option in tricky quarterback search, but who's next on the list?

The first part is complete and the Jets deserve credit for getting here. It’s never easy to admit you’ve missed on a draft pick — especially one as high as Zach Wilson. The easier path would have been for GM Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh to hitch themselves to the former No. 2 overall selection and go as far as he takes them.

Instead, they’ve admitted they screwed up. No, they’re not willing to give up on Wilson, but they are in the market for his replacement. They will — by any means necessary — have a veteran quarterback leading them next year. Wilson will be the second- or third-stringer.

It took guts to get to this point. This was the easy part, though. Now it’s on Saleh and Douglas to find said veteran quarterback.

Therein lies the challenge.

The Jets are a win-now football team. It feels as crazy writing that sentence as it does for you to read it. It’s a fact, though. They have a championship-level defense. They have playmakers littered around their offense. They have a coaching staff capable of getting the most out of their players. They have a front office capable of patching holes and adding pieces.

The Jets are on the precipice of legitimate championship contention. They just need a quarterback. Think about their 7-10 mark last year. Put even a serviceable starter on their roster and you flip three games (New England Patriots twice, Detroit Lions). Give them a legitimate one and they likely grab three more, too (Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins).

But if you can give this team a star? Throw them in the AFC playoffs? The Jets wouldn’t be favored, but you’d like them to compete against any other team in the AFC. And, hey, crazier things have happened.

That’s this team’s reality. That’s why the Jets are out there looking for a veteran. That’s why they’re determined to get one.

But who? How?

It’s imperative this team get this move right.

The Jets’ infatuation with Aaron Rodgers was the worst-kept secret at the Senior Bowl. No, Douglas wasn’t marching around in a No. 12 jersey — anyone suggesting the tight-lipped GM was needs to check themselves. It was instead a connect-the-dots puzzle where other league executives saw the same two dots inches apart that everyone else did. 

Make a tier of the available quarterbacks and Rodgers is atop that list. Put him on the Jets roster in its current construction and they’re legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Add in the Jets hiring of Rodgers’ BFF Nathaniel Hackett and you get a match made in Florham Park.

So, yes, the Jets are going to pursue Rodgers when he is available. It would be organizational malpractice for them not to.

The snag lies with Rodgers himself. There’s more there— as there always seems to be with the aging Packer passer. The belief, according to multiple sources, is that the Packers plan to do whatever Rodgers asks them to do. They’ll welcome him back if he wants to come back as fast as they’ll trade him if he prefers new scenery. There are some within Green Bay’s building who are operating and expecting Rodgers to be their quarterback next year. They believe this is just another year of the quarterback keeping his name in the news cycle.

But if Rodgers, who alluded to making his decision after the Super Bowl, wants to move, the Jets will be among the first to phone Brian Gutekunst. The concern is if Rodgers will want New York as bad as New York wants him. It’s hard to see Douglas, Saleh or their staff returning if they fall short of the postseason — Rodgers knows this. There’s a sense around the NFL that owner Woody Johnson is involving himself — Rodgers is aware of this, too

It's unclear if these issues are enough to fully deter Rodgers from New York, or if Hackett’s arrival eases his mind. At the minimum, it helps. The other teams surely vying for Rodgers, like the Las Vegas Raiders, complicates matters. There are other options available for New York, though, if Rodgers decides he prefers elsewhere. Granted, they’re not as good.

Most in the NFL do not believe Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens) is headed anywhere. The two sides are far apart on a deal, yes, but the Ravens realize what they have in the former MVP. It’s a matter of when, not if, the two bridge the gap. 

The next best option for New York would be Las Vegas’ Derek Carr. He’s played in similar schemes to Hackett’s. He’s experienced success in the NFL. His skill set and ceiling aren’t much different than what the Jets once believed Wilson to be — making him an ideal QB to observe for the former first-round pick the team isn’t yet ready to give up on.

Carr doesn’t come without his own red flags. There were some at the Senior Bowl who had legitimate concerns and worries about how his personality would mesh in New York. He hasn’t handled scrutiny and criticism well — something he would undeniably find if things went south with the Jets. This sentiment was not shared by all. More alarming: Carr, in games under 36 degrees, is 0-7 as a starting quarterback.

Aside from their own stadium, the Jets play in a division with the Patriots and Buffalo Bills. Any road to the Super Bowl could include a date with one of the Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, and Kansas City Chiefs — all cold-weather teams. That’s a very real potential problem the Jets cannot overlook.

If the Jets were to strike out on both Rodgers and Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo (San Francisco 49ers) and Ryan Tannehill (Tennessee Titans) likely climb to the top of the list. The issue with both is durability. 

Considering the Jets' lackluster (at best) belief in Wilson right now, adding one of the two in a make-or-break year puts Wilson one snap from starting. Douglas would likely need to add a proven backup behind Garoppolo or Tannehill, or risk his job security and Saleh’s on Wilson’s third-year development.

Aside from committing to adding a veteran quarterback, the Jets, right now, are in a bit of a holding pattern — as is the rest of the league. Rodgers is the top fish. Understandably so. The Jets can begin to dream of Lombardi Trophies with him under center. The team ceiling goes down from there.

They’ll compete in the AFC with Carr. They’ll likely make the playoffs with Tannehill or Garoppolo, assuming both stay healthy, but it’s hard to imagine they advance past the AFC’s kings.

That’s likely why Rodgers is the top option — but not the only option.

But can they get him?