A good friend of mine in the radio business once described the NFL to me as a sport that eats its young.
In other words, the pure violence of the game invites injuries as a major part of the equation on a year-to-year basis. With injuries inevitable for every NFL team, that could set up a perfect storm for the New York Jets to take full advantage this offseason.
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An Intriguing Situation
NFL analyst Will Parkinson gave his pre-training camp 53-man roster prediction via the Badlands patreon page.
In his projections, he believes that Jets backup quarterback Mike White will ultimately be traded before the 2022 season.
In an exclusive conversation, Parkinson explained his thought process behind that prediction and some more juicy details via text:
“He is going to play virtually every snap of the preseason. White will likely net back a conditional fourth or fifth-rounder depending on how good he looks. In terms of which teams could be interested, it is tough to say, but if anyone has an injury he could even net a third-rounder.”
It would certainly behoove the Jets to keep only two quarterbacks on the roster because that would allow them to have maximum roster flexibility with some of the other positions.
The NFL is a quarterback-driven league and injuries make teams desperate. Look what happened last summer when the Minnesota Vikings panicked after their promising tight end Irv Smith Jr suffered an injury and was done for the 2021 season.
The purple people eaters called up Jets general manager Joe Douglas and were forced to surrender a fourth-round draft choice to land Chris Herndon.
With Herndon’s injury issues and lack of consistency on the field, he wasn’t worth what he was traded for, but it still happened. That very same premise could lead the Jets to trade off their popular backup quarterback in a bidding war with some desperate NFL teams.
First World Problem
The Jets love their quarterback room. From the front office down to the coaching staff they honestly believe three starting-caliber quarterbacks reside on their roster.
Despite that optimism, there is a brutal reality that needs to be stated. If Zach Wilson was to go down for any significant length of time, this Jets season would be kaput.
You can have as many talented quarterbacks on your roster as you want, but ultimately, the chance to have the special season that some fans are dreaming of is predicated on a Wilson breakout.
So with that in mind, why not trade White if there is legitimate interest around the league?
The Jets really like Joe Flacco and he can be the primary guy. If an injury happens or you want to add another body in free agency there are plenty of options they could kick the tires on.
In a recent mailbag, we already argued why the green and white should investigate Aaron Rodgers’ former disciple Kurt Benkert who remains an unrestricted free agent.
White was a restricted free agent this summer and is set to reach the open market next offseason. He eventually wants to be a starter and clearly, that isn’t going to happen in New York.
So why not pull the plug early, get something of significant value for him, then move on in your search for a long-term backup quarterback. It almost makes too much sense not to happen.
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Injury Could Create Trade Bidding War for Jets Veteran: Report