The Jets are staring at another quarterback crossroads, and if they take the wrong turn again, the Patriots will be the ones smiling.
That’s the backdrop in the AFC East, a division that has spent most of the last 25 years running through New England before the Bills took control after Tom Brady left for the Bucs. The Dolphins and Jets still haven’t broken through, and even with major changes in both places, there’s no real reason to think the balance is about to flip.
New York has already made one move at quarterback, trading for Geno Smith in a reunion that took ten years to happen. Miami, meanwhile, overhauled its coaching staff and moved on from Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback. Both fan bases are hoping those changes point toward something better, and Jets fans in particular can at least see a path to a new franchise quarterback as soon as next year.
But the more immediate temptation, as Wynston Wilcox of FanSided.com suggests, is to chase a veteran instead of rolling the dice in the draft again. For the Jets, that kind of move might feel safer in the moment. Their track record, though, doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.
After the failed experiment with Justin Fields, the Jets passed on taking a quarterback in this year’s draft and used their picks to improve the roster elsewhere. That could set them up to target one next year, which is already the expectation for plenty of analysts. Still, if they decide they want a quarterback with NFL experience, a trade could be in play.
One name that comes up is Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
The source material says Minnesota signed Kyler Murray after the Cardinals released him, which leaves McCarthy in a shaky spot. Murray is projected to be the starter for the 2026 season unless McCarthy beats him out in training camp and the preseason.
If that doesn’t happen, McCarthy could be available sooner rather than later.
That opens the door for a team like the Jets, especially if the asking price is as modest as a 2027 fourth-round pick, which is the framework Wilcox floated. If New York thinks it can get a deal done that cheaply, there’s every reason to believe it would jump at the chance.
The appeal is obvious enough on paper. McCarthy is younger and may be more coachable than some other options, and the Jets could convince themselves that a different environment would unlock the quarterback he looked like while winning the National Championship with Michigan in 2024. But what he’s shown so far hasn’t matched that level, and he didn’t do much last season despite being surrounded by a fairly strong offense in Minnesota.
That’s where the Jets’ history starts to matter. They already swung and missed with Fields last year, and before that came Rodgers. So even if McCarthy seems like a sensible gamble, there’s no strong evidence the Jets are the team to turn that gamble into a success.
If they somehow get it right, a mid-round pick could make the whole thing look like a steal. If they don’t, it’s just another chapter in a familiar story - and another gift for the Patriots to enjoy.
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