What will Jets do at quarterback in 2023? Breaking down the options

A season that began so promisingly unraveled after the bye week and left the Jets in a familiar position. A team that has been held back by substandard quarterback play for such a long time is once again searching for that elusive franchise quarterback.

The 2023 season promises to be a fascinating one as there are several established veterans who could hit the market. Assuming the Jets go down the veteran route – which looks likely – there should be a variety of possibilities out there.

The Incumbents

Having missed the start of the season due to a knee injury, Zach Wilson won his first four starts, but struggled to build on that momentum and was eventually benched for Mike White. White performed well in his first three starts and had some people suggesting he’d be a candidate for the 2023 starting job himself if he could keep up that level of play to the end of the season. Unfortunately, he couldn’t stay healthy.

Wilson struggled in his return and was benched again, only for a returning White to also struggle. A six-game losing streak with no touchdowns in the last three games left the Jets with no choice but to explore alternatives heading into a pivotal year for the Joe Douglas-Robert Saleh regime.

The Realistic Possibilities

Two quarterbacks who look certain to be available are Jimmy Garoppolo and Derek Carr, who are certain to be linked to the Jets once the season is over. Which one, if either, could be a good option for the Jets?

Garoppolo is a free agent but seems unlikely to return to the San Francisco 49ers after the emergence of Brock Purdy this season. Trey Lance, who began the season as the starter, was selected right after Wilson in the 2021 draft and remains on the team. When Lance suffered a season-ending injury in September, Garoppolo replaced him and led the 49ers into first place in the NFC West over the next 10 games, only to then himself suffer a foot injury.

Carr has been a Pro-Bowler three times and is usually among the league leaders in most passing categories. He generally puts up bigger numbers than Garoppolo, who is more of a game manager and has never passed for 4,000 yards in a season. Carr did this four times in a row and would have a good chance to be the first Jet to achieve this since Joe Namath.

The Jets will need to weigh the pros and cons of the two 31-year-olds. Garoppolo has had more postseason success, reaching the Super Bowl a few years ago, and will be very familiar with the Jets’ system having played for the 49ers but his durability is a concern. Carr, on the other hand, has a greater upside, but his cold weather numbers are worryingly poor, and he’ll probably cost more – even if the Las Vegas Raiders release him after the season, as many expect.

The Fallback Options

If the Jets can’t get either of those players, they might need to go to more of a stop-gap type player. Potential candidates include Baker Mayfield and Jacoby Brissett.

Mayfield would be a bit of a reclamation project after wearing out his welcome with the Cleveland Browns and failing to make an impact with the Carolina Panthers, but did have some initial success with the Los Angeles Rams to remind teams of the talent he possesses. Does his sometimes-abrasive personality make him a poor fit for the New York market, though?

Brissett has started 48 games with four different teams in the past seven seasons, so he has experience in lots of different systems and environments. Even though he lost 30 of those games, his career quarterback rating is 84.4, which is better than the Jets leading passer has had in 13 of the last 15 seasons.

The Long Shots

However, these might not be their only options, as a couple of tempting options could also hit the market. What if Aaron Rodgers or Lamar Jackson were to become available? Surely the Jets would push their chips to the middle of the table for either one.

Both are obviously incredible talents and there has been some speculation that either of them could be on the move. Rodgers has made his frustration with the Green Bay Packers organization clear, and some analysts have suggested that the Baltimore Ravens might not want to give Jackson the long-term deal he’s seeking.

The main potential drawbacks here would be Rodgers’ age and, perhaps, aspects of his character. He might be the better fit, though, as the Jets may need to adapt their system to optimize Jackson’s mobility. However, with the Jets getting a new offensive coordinator for the 2023 season, it's not entirely clear whether the system will remain the same anyway.

The main issue here is that there’s no guarantee that either of these players will become available and, even if they do, whether the Jets would be considered a viable destination by either of them.

The No-shots

These won’t be the only quarterbacks to hit the market this year, but there are some who certainly won’t be considered likely options to join the Jets. 

For example, despite his redemption story this year, Geno Smith had a rough time with the Jets after he was drafted and didn’t mesh well with the fanbase or media. He will probably be re-signed anyway, as will Daniel Jones, for whom a cross-town move never seemed viable.

The other name that can’t go unmentioned is Tom Brady. Of course, Brady has no love for the Jets organization and would never sign with them – not to mention the fact that there’d likely be a fan revolt if the idea was ever raised. 

However, Brady's availability should ensure that a potential suitor for any of the above names will be out of the running. He could even go somewhere unexpected like the Dallas Cowboys or Miami Dolphins, which would suddenly add another big name into the mix.