Getty New York Jets QB Mike White handing the ball off to RB Ty Johnson.
Last year the New York Jets caught a lot of grief for their inexperienced quarterback room heading into the season.
Fast forward a year and now the room is viewed a lot differently. So much so that a trade could be looming in the distance thanks to a surplus.
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A Very Interesting Situation
Connor Hughes of The Athletic revealed his early final 53-man roster projection and featured a juicy nugget.
He projected that the Jets would keep all three of their guys who are on the roster right now in Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco, and Mike White.
However, he said a scenario exists where the only two quarterbacks retained are Wilson and Flacco.
He said that White “could garner trade interest” if he has a strong offseason.
Hughes argued that a less than stellar quarterback class in this past April’s 2022 NFL draft always leaves the door open for scarcity at the position.
Those “quarterback-needy teams” could call up general manager Joe Douglas and offer a “mid-round pick as return compensation.”
Hughes said that situation playing out is “more unlikely than likely” but did say it was a possibility.
This is an unreal throw by Mike White in the face of legit pressure. Anticipates where Braxton Berrios would end up. Unbelievable quarterback play here. 17-14 Bengals over #Jets at halftime.
Speaking of unlikely, White’s debut last year still seems like a dream that never really happened.
The 27-year-old threw for over 405 passing yards with three touchdowns, and finished with an 82 percent completion percentage.
That was the second-most passing yards by a quarterback in his first start only behind Cam Newton with 422. White was also the first Jets quarterback to surpass the 400 passing yards mark since Vinny Testaverde back in 2000.
On top of his individual success, he brought the Jets back from an 11-point deficit winning 34-31. That success helped enshrine White into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and his status grew significantly among teams in the NFL.
From unknown to Hall of Fame:
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is displaying Mike White’s game jersey and the game ball from last week’s win over the Bengals.
Photo: @ProFootballHOF
Head coach Robert Saleh nonchalantly brought up that fun fact during an interview with NFL Insider Josina Anderson on CBS Sports HQ recently:
During an interview w/ @JosinaAnderson, #Jets HC Robert Saleh was talking about the depth at QB & with a straight face said, ‘Mike White (@MikeWhiteQB) is so underrated as a quarterback I mean the guy is in the @ProFootballHOF’ 🤣😂🤣😂 🎥 @CBSSportsHQ #TakeFlight #JetsCamp
History Paints a Story
Right now the Jets have a very good situation with an established veteran, a young quarterback they believe in, and a developmental project that the locker room loves.
If Gang Green goes into the season with those three, they will be perfectly satisfied.
However last season the Jets entered the season with only two quarterbacks on the roster.
Ultimately in the NFL, roster construction is a numbers game.
If you keep only two quarterbacks, that gives you flexibility at a variety of other positions on the roster. Vice-versa if you keep three, that means you have to take food off of the plate of another position.
That could become pivotal at certain spots like the defensive line. We talked about it earlier this week about that unit having so much depth.
The other 31 teams are going to be camped outside the Jets team facilities waiting to see which defensive linemen they cut.
This will be a fascinating storyline to watch as we progress through the next couple of weeks.
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