Jets Quarterback Trade? NFL Insider Floats QB New York Should Target

The Jets won their third straight game Sunday, albeit in ugly fashion, and so perhaps we should consider them a legitimate AFC playoff contender despite Aaron Rodgers’ injury once threatening to doom New York’s season.

Then again, the Jets’ inconsistent quarterback play provides reason for hesitance. Zach Wilson made a couple of big throws in Week 8, paving the way for the Jets to beat the New York Giants 13-10 in overtime, but it otherwise was another underwhelming performance from the third-year QB.

This is something the Jets must consider with the NFL trade deadline looming Tuesday. While the smart money suggests they’ll continue to lean on Wilson, who actually showed glimpses in the weeks before Sunday’s sloppy showdown at MetLife Stadium, the Jets could benefit from adding a proven veteran to the QB room.

Like, say, Ryan Tannehill.

ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano on Monday wrote it’s “not an overreaction” to say Tannehill played his final game with the Tennessee Titans. Tannehill missed Week 8 with an ankle injury, and rookie Will Levis filled in by throwing four touchdown passes. With Tannehill in the final year of his contract, and a return to Tennessee looking increasingly unlikely, the Titans might look to trade the 35-year-old before the deadline.

Graziano believes it’s also “not an overreaction” to say the Jets should trade for Tannehill, even if he doesn’t become their new starter right away.

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“If you’re the Jets, who got a whole pile of cap space back when Rodgers agreed to a preseason pay cut, you could bring in Tannehill as another option,” Graziano wrote. “That gives him time to learn the offense while Wilson plays. Let your defense and your run game keep you in games as they’ve been doing, and you can go to Tannehill if Wilson starts to really falter again. It’s not an Aaron Rodgers problem, because Tannehill’s contract is up after this year, and he wouldn’t be in Rodgers’ way in 2024.

“This one makes more sense than the Vikings because, outside of quarterback, the Jets’ roster is in better shape. Adding a veteran to the QB room helps guard against the kind of trouble that could do in a roster that otherwise feels playoff-caliber.”

The Jets own a 4-3 record after Week 8, a solid turnaround after losing three of their first four games. Their defense remains their calling card, much like it was last season, but a passable offense would go a long way toward the Jets potentially making the postseason.

While you don’t often see impactful quarterback trades this time of year, adding Tannehill to the mix could be a worthwhile endeavor for the Jets, a team whose season very much hangs in the balance.