Getty New York Jets quarterback Mike White handing the ball off to running back Ty Johnson during an NFL game.
The New York Jets believe they found their franchise quarterback last offseason in Zach Wilson.
Their job this year is to surround him with as much talent as possible so he can take the next step in his development.
Who will be his backup in 2022 is a complete mystery with every other quarterback on the roster heading towards some level of free agency.
A recent insider’s comments suggested that the team may be losing one of those cogs sooner rather than later.
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An Interesting Plot Twist to Watch
The Jets’ two backup quarterbacks, Mike White and Joe Flacco are free agents this spring. Flacco is an unrestricted free agent and White falls under the restricted category.
On the Flight Deck Podcast hosted by Rich Cimini of ESPN, he noted that there will be teams that may be willing to sign White to an offer sheet and give up a fifth-round pick based on conversations he has had around the league.
White was originally selected with the No. 171 overall pick in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys. So the Jets can choose to tender him at his original round and that would cost about $2.4 million.
As a restricted free agent if another team signed him and the Jets chose not to match, they would get a fifth-rounder as compensation. “If they tender him at the fifth, there is a chance that they could lose him,” Cimini says.
After White signed an offer sheet with another team, the Jets would have five days to either match that offer and retain said player or let him walk and accept the draft compensation.
If they are worried about potentially losing him however they could choose to tender him at the second-round level which would cost the Jets about $4 million for the 2022 season.
Not only would his salary increase but if a team signed him, the Jets would then receive a second-round pick in return which seems far less likely a team would be willing to give that up.
A Tough Decision Looming
Do they want him back?
Head coach Robert Saleh was super vocal about bringing Flacco back and according to Cimini, he will want at least what he made last year ($3.5 million). Can they afford to also keep a guy like White as the third quarterback?
Financially they can, but they may see the silver lining in all of this.
You let White leave for a better opportunity and in return, you get a small slice of cap relief and another valuable asset in the form of draft compensation.
This will be an interesting game of chicken to watch over the next month and a half. The Jets in a perfect world want to keep everybody, but they would prefer to do it at the cheapest price possible.
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