New York Jets quarterback competition could expel one big name
Four quarterbacks enter the New York Jets camp and one is likely to miss out on a job
Despite signing Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater in free agency and holding Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg on their roster the New York Jets selected USC quarterback Sam Darnold with the third overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.
New York hopes McCown, who enters his 16th NFL season and second with the Jets at the age of 39, can mentor Darnold under the bright lights. They’ve already released former Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty, who they drafted with the 103rd overall pick in 2015. Now, the Jets will likely have to make a decision between keeping either Bridgewater or Hackenberg.
On the surface this appears to be an easy decision for New York; Hackenberg was the 51st overall pick in 2016, yet he’s never found his way onto the field in a regular season game. New York has developed him behind journeymen quarterbacks, yet head coach Todd Bowles didn’t know the former Penn State star was changing his throwing motion this offseason.
Bridgewater, on the other hand, hasn’t started an NFL game since 2015 after suffering a catastrophic leg injury prior to the 2016 season with Minnesota. After missing the entire 2016 season and all but two plays in 2017, New York picked him up in free agency on a one-year deal worth $6 million.
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Assuming nothing happens to McCown or Darnold before the regular season, the Jets will have to pick between Bridgewater and Hackenberg. Much of this will depend on Bridgewater’s health, and with just $500,000 in dead salary, the Jets could technically move on from a player they’ve never gotten a chance to play.
Hackenberg could draw some trade interest with two years remaining on his rookie deal. The Jets will ultimately lose out on the 23-year-old with him never starting a game and the compensation in a trade likely being nothing more than a fifth or sixth round draft pick, at best.
Barring an injury, the only teams that make a sliver of sense for Hackenberg are the Patriots, Saints, Seahawks, and Redskins. Each have an established quarterback and one or two development arms in place.
Hackenberg would truly benefit from a “minor league” system where he could develop on the field in live game action. It’s one of the few knocks on the NFL with thousands of players eligible for the NFL Draft and only about 250 players being taken every year.
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New York could easily cringe at the idea of releasing a second round pick that hasn’t played, but with Darnold in-house that may be their only choice. Again, it’s moving on from a second round pick that’s never played or an injured quarterback with a great personality in the clubhouse.