The New York Jets' 2023 season is quickly slipping. After a thrilling overtime victory vs. the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, the Jets have lost two straight games, and currently sit in last place in the AFC East. Expectations shifted when Aaron Rodgers went down with a season-ending Achilles injury in the first quarter of the first game, but many maintained New York could still be a playoff team. How are we feeling now?
Head coach Robert Saleh turned to former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson to lead the offense, the same quarterback who was benched last year and replaced this offseason. It was a controversial decision, and still a widely discussed topic. Wilson is averaging 155.7 passing yards per game through three contests, and has thrown two touchdowns compared to four interceptions. Even after New York's 15-10 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, Saleh told reporters that Wilson gives New York the best chance to win.
The Jets haven't added another quarterback, but they have poked around the market a bit. New York had interest in Brett Rypien of the Los Angeles Rams before his promotion to the active roster, and also reached out to the recently retired Chad Henne as well. Plus, Carson Wentz reportedly reached out to the Jets, while Matt Ryan, who's currently working as an analyst for CBS Sports, made it clear he's not interested "in doing that right now."
Are the Jets really going to move forward with Wilson as the starter all year? Who else could they potentially bring in? We explored this exact topic the night Rodgers went down, but multiple weeks later, it feels like we can cross out a couple names from our initial list. For one, Tom Brady didn't exactly show interest in the opportunity, and the Jets reportedly aren't considering him as a replacement, so let's take him off. Another player we previously considered was Jameis Winston of the New Orleans Saints. He was a viable trade target before Derek Carr suffered a shoulder injury in Week 3, which could force Winston into the lineup.
Below, we will rank five updated quarterback options for the Jets.
5. Roll with Zach Wilson
Call it recency bias, but it feels like the Jets would be making the wrong decision if they changed absolutely nothing. It's pretty simple: Do the Jets want to attempt to improve their current situation, or stay the course? This offense is frustrated. You saw Garrett Wilson upset on the sideline vs. the Patriots and Michael Carter nearly get physical with his position coach. Something needs to change.
Wilson has certainly been through the ringer early in his NFL career. In 2022, he became the first quarterback since Ed Brown in 1957-58 to record the worst passer rating in the NFL in back-to-back seasons. He once again ranks last in passer rating entering Week 4 (57.0), and has a worse TD-INT ratio than JaMarcus Russell through 25 games. It's true that Wilson's offensive line has been bad, but there has to be a quarterback out there who can get New York back on the right track. Wilson is athletic and has weapons around him, but it just hasn't worked out.
4. Sign Colt McCoy
The Arizona Cardinals surprisingly released McCoy before the start of the season to roll with Joshua Dobbs under center. McCoy is considered to be one of the better backups in the league, but the 37-year-old is still looking for that next opportunity. Over the last two years, McCoy went 3-3 as the starter for the Cardinals while throwing for 1,520 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions in 12 total games played.
The Athletic reported earlier this month that the Jets reached out to McCoy, who apparently has several offers on the table. He is absolutely an option for New York.
3. Sign Carson Wentz
If the Jets want to add a veteran who could start, well, Wentz is another option to consider. The former No. 2 overall pick has played for three teams over the last three years, the most recent being the Washington Commanders in 2022. Wentz went 2-5 as the starter for Washington, throwing for 1,755 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions in eight total games played.
He's still looking for his new team. Maybe the Jets could come calling.
2. Trade for Jacoby Brissett
Jacoby Brissett was the loser in the Commanders' quarterback battle, but he was impressive starting for the Cleveland Browns while Deshaun Watson served his suspension last year. The Browns were top 12 in points per game and yards per game with Brissett in 2022.
The 30-year-old has started in 48 games, and has thrown 48 touchdowns compared to 23 interceptions. New York could make the playoffs with him. It's unknown if Washington would consider parting ways with Brissett, as he's the vet who can replace the young Sam Howell at any given moment. But Brissett is an option nonetheless.
1. Trade for Kirk Cousins
The Minnesota Vikings are now 0-3 and Cousins is on a one-year deal. The veteran leads the NFL with 1,075 passing yards, ranks No. 1 in passing touchdowns with nine and has thrown just two interceptions. Acquiring Cousins would make the Jets better immediately. He doesn't fix New York's offensive line issues and he's certainly not the most mobile signal-caller, but Cousins is an underrated quarterback who wants to compete, and compete he would with the Jets.
CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin has been making the case for Cousins to the Jets for a couple weeks now, and his argument makes sense. The only holdup I'm stuck on is if the Jets would want to swing another trade for a legitimate starting quarterback after doing so just months ago. Joe Douglas probably won't want to spend more valuable draft capital on what could be a one-year thing, and then New York would have to consider upping the offer for Minnesota to eat some of the money Cousins is owed. Plus, if the Vikings traded Cousins right now, it signals them giving up on the 2023 season. Maybe a trade won't happen before Week 4, but this is a possibility to keep tabs on.