What should Jets do at quarterback?

The New York Jets are resetting at football's most important position for the umpteenth time. The embattled franchise announced its decision to move on from Aaron Rodgers on Feb. 13, leaving Tyrod Taylor, Jordan Travis and Adrian Martinez as its only quarterbacks.

Taylor is the only proven player out of that bunch, as he has 58 starts under his belt, while the latter two haven't taken an NFL snap. The 35-year-old has completed 61.9 percent of his passes for 12,254 yards with 68 touchdowns and 29 interceptions over 94 appearances. He's also rushed for 2,281 yards and 19 scores.

New Jets general manager Darren Mougey was complimentary of both Taylor and the talent available in the draft and free agency, via Eric Allen of the team's website.

"There's a lot of intriguing players in this draft, some good, talented players in the draft, at quarterback as well. Then in free agency, we'll exhaust all those options but really excited of who we have in the building right now," Mougey said. "Starting with Tyrod, a guy that's been around the league, been in the league for a long time and has a great reputation. I've got the opportunity to talk to him a few times and it's been great. So I'm glad we have Tyrod in the building, but we'll exhaust all options."

Taylor would be a decent bridge option for a first-round prospect like Cam Ward. But with several All-Pro-level talents still on the roster, it would behoove the Jets to go all-in on breaking the longest playoff drought in North American sports.

New York hasn't made the playoffs since 2010 when Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez were in their second seasons as head coach and quarterback, respectively. They've both been commentators for years now, and the Jets still haven't gotten out of the cellar. 

That's why they must acquire the likes of Kirk Cousins, Derek Carr, Jameis Winston, Sam Darnold or Russell Wilson this offseason. They would all be upgrades to Taylor. While it is better to sign a free agent than give assets in a trade, they should be open to making a deal at the right price for Carr or Cousins, who can still win games despite being past their primes.

While Taylor's career numbers are respectable, he's played at least 10 games in a season only once since 2017, so it's fair to wonder how consistent he'd be in 2025. The Virginia Tech product recorded a 48.6 quarterback rating (QBR) in 11 appearances for the New York Giants in 2023. 

Conversely, Cousins has had a higher QBR than that in each of the past 11 years, Carr for the past six, Darnold for the last three and Wilson for the last two. Winston ranked 19th with a 55.6 QBR for the Cleveland Browns last season, and would at least challenge Taylor in a camp competition.

Darnold had the best 2024 campaign out of this group, as he ranked fifth in passing yards (4,319) and touchdowns (35) against just 12 picks for the Minnesota Vikings, who will likely pivot to J.J. McCarthy. The 27-year-old was also 14th with a 60.4 QBR. Getting him back after his tumultuous tenure with the Green and White years ago would be ironic, but he's objectively the best option.

This is a unique situation, as new regimes usually don't have this good of a roster right away. It's still fair for Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn to think about the future as well, though. While the top quarterback prospects will likely be off the board at No. 7, they can still stash a later-round prospect like Dillon Gabriel or Kyle McCord on the bench.

The bottom line is that the Jets should prioritize the veteran market over the draft for their next signal-caller. That way, they can use their first-round pick on someone like LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell or Penn State tight end Tyler Warren to upgrade an offense that ranked tied for 24th in points per game last season.