Why the Jets must address this position in 2024 NFL Draft
For the first time in a long time, the talk surrounding the New York Jets quarterback room is not dreadful.
On the heels of being benched for the third time in the last two seasons, Zach Wilson reassumed the starting quarterback job in Week 14 and turned in the best performance of his career. The 24-year-old completed 27-of-36 (75%) passes for 301 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in the Jets' 30-6 win over the Texans, and was subsequently named AFC Player of the Week.
Aaron Rodgers, meanwhile, continues to make strides in his unprecedented recovery from a torn Achilles he suffered in Week 1. The four-time MVP "pushed it" in practice on Dec. 15, according to HC Robert Saleh, practicing bootlegs and snaps under center. He is expected to be medically cleared to play by the Jets' Christmas Eve matchup against the Commanders, per TMZ Sports, though whether he actually takes the field remains to be seen.
Don't let the recent success of Jets quarterbacks fool you, however. New York must draft a QB with their first-round pick in hopes of finding its long-term answer at the position.
Wilson is as good as gone following this season after multiple benchings and a tumultuous three seasons in New York. While Rodgers seems committed to playing next season and perhaps even the one after that, the Jets truly don't know what they'll get out of him.
Rodgers will be 40 years old in Week 1 of 2024 and coming off two injury-riddled seasons — one of which only lasted four snaps. He's battled through a thumb injury, calf strain and Achilles tear over the last two years — a stark contrast from the good health he experienced earlier in his career. After missing nearly the entirety of this season, it's fair to ask what the star quarterback has left in the tank.
Though Rodgers is clearly the answer at quarterback for the 2024 season, he is by no means part of the Jets' long-term plan. New York would be wise to use its likely top 10 pick to solidify their future at signal-caller.
The Jets currently own the seventh overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, per Tankathon, seemingly putting them out of the running for UNC's Drake Maye or USC's Caleb Williams — the supposed top quarterback options. But the 2024 QB class is deeper than most, with one of Oregon's Bo Nix, LSU's Jayden Daniels or Washington's Michael Penix Jr. likely to fall to New York.
Unlike past years in which the Jets drafted a quarterback in the first round and immediately thrust them into the starting role — think Wilson, Sam Darnold — New York can now have an unpolished rookie sit and learn behind Rodgers, one of the best at his position. Nix, Daniels and Penix are not without their shortcomings, which is why a year on the bench would be invaluable for their development.
One of the main factors that'll prevent the Jets from drafting a quarterback, however, is Rodgers. He wasn't shy about expressing his discontent when the Packers drafted Jordan Love in 2020, and would likely want New York to use its first-round pick on a player that could help win a Super Bowl in 2024.
Rodgers has already put his fingerprints all over the Jets' offseason moves this year, with longtime friends Randall Cobb, Allen Lazard, Billy Turner and Nathaniel Hackett all coming to New York. It'll be interesting to see if he has as much of a say in the draft process.
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