Getty Mitch Trubisky warms up before a Buffalo Bills game.
The New York Jets are planning to stick with Zach Wilson at quarterback after Aaron Rodgers suffered a season-ending injury, but one former Buffalo Bills quarterback has been identified as a potential trade target should the Jets decide to look for some outside help.
Rodgers went down early in the first quarter of the September 11 win over the Bills, suffering an injury while being sacked by edge rusher Leonard Floyd. Though the Jets were able to rally for a 22-16 overtime win over the Bills, the future now looks uncertain as the Jets confirmed that Rodgers tore his Achilles and will miss the rest of the season.
Jets May Need Outside Help
Jack McKessy of NorthJersey.com suggested that the Jets could consider several veteran quarterbacks as a steady hand beside Wilson, including former Bills backup Mitch Trubisky.
“There are several backup quarterbacks across the NFL with starting experience. Trading for one of them would provide the Jets with more experience on the depth chart,” McKessy wrote.
“Mitch Trubisky (Steelers), Jacoby Brissett (Commanders), Marcus Mariota (Eagles) and Taylor Heinicke (Falcons) are all players who either entered 2022 as Week 1 starters or started a majority of their teams’ games last year.”
Trubisky saw little action in his one season in Buffalo in 2021, coming in only for mop-up duties in blowouts as starter Josh Allen remained healthy the entire season. He left the Bills following the season, signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers where he was initially named starter before losing the job to rookie Kenny Pickett.
UPDATE: #Jets QB Aaron Rodgers plans to still be around the team and be involved despite his season ending injury.
This is great news and he will be a huge asset for Zach Wilson moving forward.
He ended the season completing 65% of his passes for 1,252 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions.
Noah Strackbein of SI.com also suggested that the Jets could target either of the two backups on the Steelers’ roster, Trubisky or Mason Rudolph.
“At some point, holding onto backup quarterbacks just because stops making sense,” Strackbein wrote. “At this point, Pickett is your starter, your captain, and a veteran in the NFL. Pittsburgh has no excuse to keep everyone else around as a safety net for their young QB’s maturation process.”
Jets Rolling With Zach Wilson
While the Jets may look around the landscape for more help at quarterback, head coach Robert Saleh made it clear on Tuesday that Wilson would be the undisputed starter going forward.
“We are going to look through some things, but I do want to make it very clear, Zach’s our quarterback,” he said, via CBS Sports. “We have a lot of faith in Zach. We’re really excited about his opportunity. We’re rolling with Zach and excited for him. We’re going to look at everything. You’re going to look at veterans, you’re going to look at young guys. Under no circumstance is this a [quarterback] competition, this is Zach’s team. We’re rolling with Zach.”
The Jets entered the season as a darkhorse Super Bowl pick with Rodgers at quarterback, and still have one of the league’s best defenses. The aggressive defense hounded Josh Allen and the Bills on Monday night, forcing the Bills quarterback into four turnovers and sacking him three times.
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Ex-Bills QB Named Trade Target for Jets After Aaron Rodgers Injury