Woody Johnson: Jets 'Absolutely' In Market for Veteran QB
Analysis 1/12/23
The New York Jets are in the market for a veteran quarterback, team owner Woody Johnson told reporters on Thursday.
Johnson was asked about the team's quarterback situation and whether or not a veteran at the position could be the difference-maker in the team securing a 2023 playoff berth.
"Absolutely," Johnson said. "We've got a cap, so there's an amount you can spend. But, yeah, yeah. That's kind of the missing piece."
The Jets felt their quarterback situation was secure heading into the 2022 NFL season with Zach Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, under center and ready to take a leap in his development. Wilson's inconsistent play, however, left the team desperate for more stability at QB.
Head coach Robert Saleh echoed Johnson's comments when speaking with the media Thursday.
"We are going to be aggressive as heck when it comes to quarterback play, and making sure that we do everything we can to satisfy that position," Saleh said. "Do I want to be as arrogant as to say I think this is plug and play where we're going to get better? When you can run the ball, you have good special teams and you have a top-five defense, you're supposed to be in the playoffs."
Wilson's play was so poor that Laveranues Coles, a former Jets receiver and an analyst for The 33rd Team, who had been pleading for patience with the young quarterback throughout the season, has come around on his thinking recently. He sees Johnson speaking up as encouraging words that things are about to take a different course.
"Mr. Johnson, when he pokes his head up, it's like, 'Hey, brother, something's got to change,'" Coles said.
Wilson was benched multiple times during the season for backup quarterback Mike White. However, the Jets lost their last six games and missed the postseason after starting 5-2.
Former Jets receiver Wayne Chrebet, an analyst for The 33rd Team, thinks change for the Jets is good, especially if it results in his old team landing a difference-making quarterback.
"They'll spend the money, and if there's a little chance you can get someone like Lamar Jackson, and he's someone who is available, they'll go after him," Chrebet said. "They went after Tyreek (Hill, in free agency)."
"That's why they're raising ticket prices," added Coles. "Because they need to go get Lamar."
Jackson isn't the only notable name potentially available in the offseason. Johnson's comments came on the heels of QB Derek Carr's announcement he would be moving on from the Raiders. Carr is seeking a new team and new city to commit to, and believes he has more to offer.
“That fire burning inside me to win a championship still rages,” Carr wrote on Twitter Thursday. “A fire no man can extinguish; only God."
Rumors have also encircled Packers QB Aaron Rodgers since the disappointing conclusion of the Packers' season, with some speculating Rodgers could finally move on from Green Bay.