Roster Status: Quarterback

Edition #555

Good morning! ☕

I got asked who I was supporting in the NFL playoffs yesterday, a topic I hadn’t given much thought to. My first instinct is to say whoever is playing the Dolphins and Bills, so for this week, it’s the Steelers and Chiefs. Over the course of the entire playoffs though? I’d quite like to see the Lions win it all, just for something different and because I quite like the career arc of Jared Goff and him having to go through his old team.

✍️ The Jets signed 9 players to reserve/future contracts this week. Basically, this means the Jets are signing these guys for when the new league year kicks in and roster size is allowed to balloon to 90. Right now as we’re still in the 2023 league year, teams can only carry 53, even teams who are eliminated. You’ll recognise a fair few of the names.

🤝 Thomas Morestead agreed to part with his #5 shirt to allow Garrett Wilson to wear it, it’s the same number he wore in college. Of course this means that #17 is available, and who wears number 17? Devante Adams. You’re about to hear a lot of rumours linking Adams with the jets, we’ll try to only share them when there is meat to the bones.

📢 Aaron Rodgers confirmed on Pat McAfee that he plans to play for 2-3 more years, but let’s see him for one year before we start counting those chickens. He also confirmed that he’s had absolutely no conversations about trading for Adams and Wilson giving up his number is coincidence. Remember Wilson did say last year that 2023 would be the final year he wore #17, so it’s not like this came out of nowhere.

🟢⚪ Now we have some space to breath, we’re going to spend some time looking at each position group for the Jets.

The logical place to start is with the quarterbacks, the single most important position in football.

Starting the year the Jets carried two on the active roster in Aaron Rodgers and Zach Wilson, with Tim Boyle on the practice squad.

2023 was supposed to be the year that Zach Wilson got a reset and opportunity to sit and learn. Joe Douglas has said that the Jets felt good about this going in, but unfortunatley plan A lasted 4 snaps.

By the end of the season the Jets had seen Aaron Rodgers, Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian take snaps.

As I said yesterday, I find it strange that Joe Douglas prioritised signing a $7 million insurance policy at RB over signing a capable insurance policy at QB. Rodgers going down had to be part of the disaster planning and Zach Wilson needed a chance to sit and learn. We’ve talked about this a number of times so I won’t open that can up again, but I can almost guarantee the Jets won’t make the same error in 2024.

My biggest issue is that once Aaron went down, the Jets didn’t pivot and bring in veteran help. The decision to start with Zach and Tim as the primary backups was a cnfusing one, the decision to stick with that tandem once Rodgers went down sunk the ship.

So where are we right now, heading into the 2024 off-season?