Which Veteran Quarterback Should the New York Jets Sign This Offseason?

Could one of these three veteran quarterbacks serve as Zach Wilson's backup in green and white next season?

Save now, spend later. That notion should be, and often is, the plan of attack for all NFL front offices amid a total rebuild; especially for those who have an eye for drafting and developing homegrown talent. Let your young players earn their second contracts, reward them with such, and show the rest of the locker room that there’s a unity and understanding of building a contending team within your own doors.

If you do choose to spend early, as we’ve seen Joe Douglas do from time to time in his first two offseasons with the Jets, ensuring that both the guaranteed money and duration of the contracts are short-lived is a must. You can sign a George Fant to an AAV of $10 million or a Corey Davis to an AAV of $12.5 million, but if you aren’t tied down past two or three years, then you’ve done minimal damage to your long-term plan.

Through his tenure, Douglas has yet to sign a free agent to anything longer than a three-year deal, but now the time has come to be even a tad more frugal. With his third draft coming up and some previous selections continuing to develop and show promise, making sure those individuals don’t leave the building is how the Jets can slowly grow from a meme into legitimacy.

READ: Evaluating Each Player From the New York Jets' 2020 NFL Draft Class

Throughout the course of this series, we’ll look at some economic free-agent options for the Jets across all positions and see just how New York can build up the meat of this roster while not strapping themselves to unfavorable contracts.

Up first, the backup quarterback spot; and no, this is not a slight toward restricted free agent Mike White. While he was impressive in his game against Cincinnati and held his own against New England and briefly in Indianapolis, the Jets focus needs to be around what is best for Zach Wilson and at this time having a veteran voice in his ear should be priority No. 1.

There is always room for three quarterbacks on a depth chart—just as the Jets did this past season—but their first focus must include bringing, or keeping, a seasoned vet for one of those spots. Not only is it crucial to address should Zach Wilson need to miss time in his second season, but also to provide the young signal-caller with a strong, veteran presence to help him manage the ups and downs of life as a quarterback.

Three Affordable Options for New York to Shore Up Their Backup Quarterback Position

The Jets need to keep a veteran in their quarterback room to help foster Zach Wilson's development. Here are three options for the 2022 season.  

1. Joe Flacco, 37, New York Jets

Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

If both the head coach and starting quarterback want you back, that seems like a pretty good place to start. Joe Flacco returned to New York midway through the season, with the Jets trading a sixth-round pick to Philadelphia, and the return they got goes way beyond his contributions on the field. Zach Wilson used every chance he got to pick the brain of his veteran co-part, with Flacco applauding his eagerness when speaking after his start against the Miami Dolphins.

“As soon as me and him get together he's like a million questions," Flacco said. "It's all good, it's a lot of fun to see somebody that's just coming into the league and being able to talk to him is a lot of fun.”

Saleh had full support in bringing back Flacco this offseason, saying during his end-of-year presser “I don’t think anyone realizes how big of a deal that was in terms of just, even for me, I didn’t expect it to be the impact that I wasn’t expecting in terms of just the assist, in terms of developing the quarterback and the room in general.”

Flacco makes total sense for the Jets, but do the Jets make sense for Flacco? He’s already left once before and could aim for a backup spot on a playoff-contending team as he approaches the tail-end of his career. Saleh did say he’ll be very vocal to the front office about keeping Flacco in New York, so as long as he too wants to come back this deal should be all but done.

2. Chad Henne, 36, Kansas City Chiefs

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

As far as affordable, consistent and comfortable goes, Chad Henne is a great candidate for the backup role with New York. He’s currently playing his fourteenth season, fourth as the backup for the Kansas City Chiefs, and has earned an average salary of $2.6 million for his career. While his stints in Miami and Jacksonville were underwhelming, his longevity and ability to contribute when needed in Kansas City has carved a nice new role for himself.

Speaking of Jacksonville, Henne crossed paths with Robert Saleh during the 2014 and 2016 seasons—Henne serving as the backup quarterback and Saleh as their linebackers coach. Ron Middleton, the Jets current tight end coach, held the same title for those Jaguars teams as well.

The only glaring problem is convincing Henne to step away from being backup quarterback to Patrick Mahomes, a role that’s brought him to four straight AFC title games with a chance of three of those resulting in trips to the Super Bowl. However, should Kansas City look to get younger or more athletic at the backup spot, Henne would make a lot of sense in the green and white next season.

Never forget what Chad Henne did for Chiefs Kingdom. pic.twitter.com/1Nq1HxkSia

— Chiefs Daily (@chiefsdaily15) January 23, 2021

3. Brian Hoyer, 35, New England Patriots

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s get the band back together! Oh, which band you ask? The legendary 2014 Cleveland Browns — featuring starting quarterback Brian Hoyer and offensive intern Mike LaFleur — that’s who. Yes, that’s a bit of a stretch.

Really, signing Hoyer fits for a lot of the same reasons Henne does. He doesn’t have the need to compete for the starting job anymore, has gained the wisdom of playing around some of the greatest minds in football, and can step in and not be a detriment to his team when needed.

He’s currently assisting a divisional rival in mentoring their own rookie quarterback, a team in which he’s spent three different stints with over his lengthy career but should other options fall through the cracks it’d be wise to at least attempt at bringing Hoyer into the building.

MORE:

• If the Jets Can’t Draft Aidan Hutchinson, They Should Select Cameron Thomas
• Jets Pick Two Offensive Players in Latest PFF Mock
• Ex-Jets Scout Says New York Must Follow 49ers Blueprint This Offseason

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