Shit, There Might Be Logic Behind The Jets' Plan At Quarterback Dom Cosentino The Jets wanted to land Kirk Cousins, and they reportedly offered even more than the Vikings did to get him. After that fell through, they immediately turned to Plan B, which involved re-signing Josh McCown and adding Teddy Bridgewater. At first glance, it looked like the Jets spent $15 million for some half-assed patchwork. But I swear there’s a logic to this—and it goes deeper than simply maintaining the Jets’ longstanding dynasty of quarterback mentorship. The real work still has to be done, though. McCown is 39 and meh. It took a career year from him in 2017 for the Jets to win five games before their offense reverted into the slapstick act they were widely forecast to become. The Jets got credit for exceeding expectations last season, but this was always the lowest of low bars to clear; if anything, they benefited from the might-go-winless narrative, since anything better could be spun as some kind of progress, no matter how ephemeral it actually was. They changed the culture, or so we were told, even as Muhammad Wilkerson, their highest-paid player, wound up marking time until he got benched and then released. McCown keeps earning praise for his intangibles and for being some kind of locker-room soothsayer, even though his presence has never done a thing for the development of a young quarterback (and certainly didn’t do jack shit for Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg). The Jets decided to stick with head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Mike Maccagnan, whose three years together haven’t produced much in the way of tangible progress. It’s hard not to view the contract extensions both received in December as a desire for continuity for the sake of continuity. It’s as if the Jets were determined to show the world they’re not the Browns by simply refusing to copy the Browns’ blueprint of constantly cleaning house. Plus, Bowles often coaches scared, and Maccagnan entered this offseason with a roster full of as many holes as the one he inherited from John Idzik—even after two drafts with the No. 6 pick, the same spot the Jets find themselves in again this spring. Maccagnan’s three drafts haven’t produced much, and with Petty and Hackenberg, he has even whiffed twice at attempts to find a QB. So what’s the point of bringing McCown back for $10 million, while also adding Bridgewater—who hasn’t played a meaningful snap in three years—for an additional $5 million? Consider the QB market, and what the Seahawks and Eagles—two franchises that have both won Super Bowls in the eight years since the Jets last made the playoffs—did as part of their respective plans. The $15 million the Jets are forking over for McCown and Bridgewater might seem like a lot. But view that price in context: It’s the same average per year the Bears gave Mike Glennon last year, and it’s right at the bottom of the market for starting quarterbacks. The Jets got two QBs for that price, with no financial commitments whatsoever beyond 2018. For a team that entered free agency with a league-high $90 million-plus in cap room, it’s not a significant investment. The key to understanding what the Jets are doing is to realize they aren’t done investing in quarterbacks. This is where it’s instructive to look at what the Seahawks did in 2012 and the Eagles did in 2016. In March 2012, the Seahawks signed Matt Flynn to a deal that maxed out at three years, $26 million, with $10 million guaranteed. They also still had Tarvaris Jackson, who had started 15 games for them the previous season. Yet they nonetheless went ahead that spring and drafted Russell Wilson in the third round. Wilson won the job in training camp, and Jackson was traded that August for a pick Seattle later flipped to the Vikings as part of a trade package for wideout Percy Harvin. At the end of Wilson’s second season, Seattle won the Super Bowl. Then there were the Eagles. In March 2016, they signed Sam Bradford to a lucrative extension with $22 million in guarantees. They also signed Chase Daniel to a multi-year contract. Then, they maneuvered up to draft Carson Wentz, who wound up winning the job in camp. When Bridgewater got hurt just before the start of the season, the Eagles traded Bradford to the Vikings. Last March, the Eagles dumped Daniel and signed Nick Foles. You know the rest of that story. The Eagles paid a steep price in draft capital to jump from No. 8 and then to No. 2 to pick Wentz. The Jets don’t have to move up quite as far, and they have eight draft picks to work with this year, including two in the second round, plus all seven of 2019's selections. That’s more than enough ammo to maneuver up the board, should they want to do it badly enough. Clearly, there are ways to get rookie QBs enough reps in training camp even with a pair of veterans around him. Hell, the Jets already did this last year, when McCown basically stepped aside after the first preseason game to allow Petty and Hackenberg the chance to spend the rest of the summer stepping on rakes. By signing McCown and Bridgewater, the Jets have purchased some veteran quarterback depth. They can use that depth as insurance, a trade chip, or both. The Jets have also already spent some of their cap surplus at cornerback, running back, center, and inside linebacker, without splurging on older players, as they did during Maccagnan’s first offseason. What they still have to do is draft a quarterback this spring, be it by holding pat at No. 6 or by trading up or down. The only problem with this plan is that’s the part they damn well better get right.
I just got done reading that article before coming over here to share it. You two beat me to it. Good read. Hope Mac gets it right this draft when it comes to QB!
They make some good points. For me, this all hinges on them taking a QB at 6 (or higher). If they don't than I cannot defend this move. I would be very concerned if Mac thought he could fix the QB position with Teddy and McCown. I still have some reservations about drafting a QB, and sticking him third string, likely limiting his reps. Tough for any player to get any better that way. I assume Bridgewater is the starter sooner rather than later. It doesnt make much sense to sign him to a one year deal as a backup.
It's always a good idea to throw darts at the dartboard and hope one hits the bulls-eye. The problem in our case is that Hack is throwing them.
What the signing of McCown and Bridgewater tell me is that Macc is staying true to his track record. He's hedging his bets, but won't bet the farm. If he can move up to get his FQB at what he considers a reasonable price, he'll do it, but if not, well he already has two QBs he can go to camp with, plus Hack/Petty. This doesn't bode well for those of us who want him to "Go big, or go home" in landing Rosen, Mayfield, or Darnold. He may well just stay at 6 and take a non-QB, or even trade down, if he doesn't get the terms he wants. The thing is, he sin't really the one dictating the terms - it's the fans who are starved for a true FQB to be the face of this hard luck franchise. He may well think himself smart by not "overpaying" to move up for a QB, but if he doesn't find that elusive FQB this year, he may well be gone afterwards. For now, all we can do is watch and wait.
The rep thing is overrated in our case. McCown won't need a lot of reps early. Tedy and Baker can get a ton....Maybe grab the starter role even
Good article, and on point. Same for Colorado's post above. I definitely want the team to move up but Colorado is right, Mac has never shown a willingness to overpay for anything. I also agree with the closing statement in the article. The Jets better get this right. If they walk away from the draft without Mayfield, Darnold, or Rosen then they screwed up badly. No amount of crafty maneuvering will change that.
Unfortunately, with the jets "the positive spin" is never accurate. i thought there was a chance we might finally have a gm but I see our GM as borderline incompetent. Miss out on cousins, not to worry I'll throw potentially 25 mil at two marginal qb's. Why are we gambling like this when we are supposed to be rebuilding? Mccown alone wold have been fine. The bridgewater move reeks of a gm who panicked. It also gives him cover to go away from drafting a qb with our first pick. Hack is trash, and unless a player has cant miss talent our gm doesn't seem to show an aptitude for identifying a franchise qb. Why are we focused so much on d with our resources? Our offense was better than our d and we dumped our o-coordinator to focus more on the run..... What a fucking joke, behind a sub-par o-line with marginal backs, somehow bowles thinks we should have run the ball better. Dumb and dumber coach/ gm combo fml. Football guys are supposed to be better than their business counterparts for nfl GM's but I think its time to rethink how management is acquired. WE need a QB not a pile of shit thrown against the wall. But hey we have Crowell posting pictures of cops getting throat slit and Anderson playing thuglife in Miami so mayby thats a plus for many.
Sam Darnold. Baker Mayfield. Josh Rosen. Josh Allen. One of them needs -NYJ next to their name on April 26th. That is the bottom line. No excuses. I agree with signing McCown and Bridgewater as long as the plan is to draft a QB in the 1st Round. Otherwise, all of the other moves don't really matter.
More and more , I'm thinking with the 2 QB signings, Mac has given himself some flexibility to pick and chose at the #6 spot. He may even decide to answer trade down calls and collect more picks with the thought that he could find a QB in the later part of the 1st or early 2nd rounds. They would leave themselves up for scrutiny if they took a QB at 6 that they are not 100% on - and there are obviously ones in this draft that you can find any type of fault with..The only QB that fits Mac's ideal description to his standards that can come in immediately and help the team is Josh Rosen. But, what do i know? I'm confused
Mac must draft a QB. There is no other way. His hands are tied to him getting fired if he doesn't draft a QB that becomes successful.
I wrote about this earlier. I witnessed, in person, the Jets giving Hack and Petty 1st team reps in camp so much so I was surprised they gave starter to McCown. No doubt there will be reps for a rook. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
He isn't drafting QB this year. Signing McCown and Bridgewater, say that very loudly. If he trades up for Barkley, that would be icing on the cake. Chances are we go defense. Maybe we will draft QB next year. Good moves for now.
The article makes some good points, points I've heard from people on here and Twitter that have calmed me down after my original outburst about bringing in Bridgewater and re-signing McCown, but the article at the end also states what matters most at the end of the day: They MUST take a QB come April 26 and if they don't, none of this will matter and this regime will be screwed.
