The New York Jets will be one of the question mark teams heading into the 2024 NFL season. They had high expectations last year, but saw their optimism cut short on opening night when the newly acquired Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles in front of a national audience on September 11th.
NFL: Jets Will Need A Better Backup QB In 2024
𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗦: Some people within the #Jets organization like #Commanders quarterback Sam Howell, per @Connor_J_Hughes
Howell would make perfect sense as a backup to Aaron Rodgers, with starter potential down the road. This is assuming the Commanders don’t keep him as a backup.… pic.twitter.com/E4rK0sQmYP
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) February 19, 2024
The team was forced to endure yet another tumultuous season with Zach Wilson under center, and they finished with the 2nd worst passing offense in the NFL, and fell well short of their goal by failing to qualify for the playoffs. One of the keys to New York’s offseason plan will certainly be finding someone who can back up the 40-year-old Rodgers, and there are some interesting options on the board for the team to explore.
There is of course the free agent pool. There are always guys like Tyrod Taylor, Sam Darnold, or Garnder Minshew that can be brought in, as they have proved that they can come in and lead an offense mid-season should the starter go down with an injury.
But there may be a couple of other options, as well, and ones that would make Jets fans feel better about their doomsday scenario.
Former Titans and Dolphins starter Ryan Tannehill is set to hit the open market, and he could be placed firmly in a backup role for the first time in his career. There is also a trade candidate, and New York would be wise to work the phones with the Washington Commanders.
Could Sam Howell Be An Option?
It’s happening 🟢⚪⚫ pic.twitter.com/70Jhw9OpN1
— New York Jets (@nyjets) February 12, 2024
Sam Howell was one of the bigger stat producers during the first half of the 2023 season. There was a point in the year in which he led the league in passing yards, though his accuracy was always an issue. His turnover numbers increased even further in the second half of the season, and he finished with an NFL-leading 21 interceptions.
But the second-year product out of North Carolina had his abilities on full display this past year, though not enough to keep the Commanders from QB hunting this off-season. There is a chance that the team makes Howell expendable (if they don’t keep him as a backup themselves), and the Jets could be one of the better landing spots for all sides.
After his rough finish to the most recent regular season, Howell is considered a fringe starter in the league, and would likely be placed into an unfavorable situation should any team be desperate enough to bring him in as their #1 option. But he can rehab his turnover-prone image with a season or two of being a backup, and especially if he is able to learn from one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game.
Zach Wilson is still currently under contract for the Jets, though there is little doubt that he will be let go at some point during the NFL off-season.
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