Should the Jets Re-Sign Mike White After This Season?

The New York Jets should re-sign quarterback Mike White in free agency after this season, securing a reliable backup to bring the best out of Zach Wilson.

Jets' quarterback Mike White is scheduled to become a free agent at the end of this season.

Do you think the Jets should re-sign him?

White stepped in for QB Zach Wilson and statistically performed better than Wilson has all season when he played against the Patriots, Bengals and Colts. The Jets were more responsive to White and White ran offensive coordinator Mike LaFluer's system with a higher level of efficiency.

White completed 66.7% of his passes as the starter and Wilson has completed 56.1% of his passes. Plus, prior to the Buffalo meltdown, White was completing 72.7% of his passes.

The Jets offensive line also has given up an average of 2.8 sacks per game with Wilson, but they surrendered 2.0 sacks on the average against the Patriots, Bengals and Colts when White was under center.

The Jets had been giving up 3.6 sacks per game prior to White stepping in.

Translation, White made quicker decisions with the football.

This is another telling statistic.

White's average yardage-per-completion during his time leading the team was 7.2 yards and Wilson is at 6.1 yards.

Granted, White played in four games and Wilson has played in nine, but the numbers are especially suggestive considering New England, Buffalo and Indianapolis fielded top-15 pass defenses and Cincinnati was in first place at that time. It is also interesting that White and Wilson are both inexperienced as career starters.

Every fan knows that a team is only one play away from having the second-string QB in the game and the importance of having a quality backup has been proven throughout history.

However, can two young quarterbacks coexist on the same roster without controversy?

Generally, it has worked best if there is an age gap between the starter and backup and the roles are clearly defined.

There is not a lot of upside on the list of free agent quarterbacks. It is possible they could bring in a veteran backup or possibly stick with Joe Flacco in that role. However, Flacco is also an unrestricted free agent after this season. If the team opts to draft a QB in the later rounds, that too will come with the challenge of a considerable required learning curve to back up Wilson.

Douglas and Saleh will also need to make a decision on Wilson.

With having two picks in the top-10, the decisions team general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh make this off-season will go a long way in deciding their fates. It is highly unlikely they would survive yet another dismal season.

Not all of this equation is up to Douglas and Saleh either.

White has a say.

White, 26, is one of the more attractive names on the free agent list and with QBs being considered a premium, there is also the possibility another team could make White an offer.

Here are White's statistics that NFL teams will be mulling over when the clock strikes midnight and free agency begins:

• vs. NE (against Belichick) 20/32, 202 yards, 62.5% completion percentage, 1 TD, 2 INT.

• vs. CIN 37/45, 405 yards, 82.2% completion percentage, 3 TD, 2 INT.

• vs. IND (injured in this game) 7/11, 95 yards, 63.6% completion percentage, 1 TD, 0 INT.

• vs. BUF 24/44, 251 yards, 54.6% completion percentage, 0 TD, 4 INT.

According to Bleacher Report, there could be as many as seven teams that could be in the market for a new starting QB; Pittsburgh, Carolina, Denver, Detroit, Houston, NY Giants and San Francisco (who has Trey Lance already as a backup). That is six possibilities he could get a starting offer from and even if he does not, White still could get offered more money to go elsewhere as a back-up.

White is no longer as much of an unknown as he was when he got cut from Dallas in 2019. White has increased his value by what he has shown on the field against strong levels of competition.

There is also the question if management wants White to return because of the potential threat he is to Wilson and his development. Or will White be viewed as someone who can help push Wilson to his full potential?

At this point, with the Jets at 3-10, there are more questions than answers. However, one thing is for sure...

We will all soon find out how the Jets and Mike White really feel about each other. 

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