Getty Houston Texans quarterback Tyrod Taylor walking off the field after a tough NFL contest.
The New York Jets feel pretty good about their starting quarterback heading into 2022.
After some rocky play initially, from the former No. 2 overall pick out of BYU, Zach Wilson has really settled in to find his groove.
Although the bigger question is who the heck will be his backup next season?
One NFL insider believes there is a perfect fit inside their very conference.
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A Very Familiar Face Could Be the Perfect Fit
NFL insider Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports played matchmaker with 15 different veteran quarterbacks who could be on the move this offseason. He shared some new intel on what he was hearing and which players could be a good fit for each team.
In that column, the Jets were listed as a “potential suitor” for Houston Texans quarterback Tyrod Taylor.
The 32-year-old journeyman quarterback has been around the block playing for five different NFL franchises over the last 11 years.
During that time, Taylor has played in 78 career games and has started in 53 of those.
He is the perfect backup quarterback that has a wealth of experience to share with a young passer and has obviously proven capable of stepping in a pinch when called upon.
The dual-threat ability is a nice bonus even at his advanced age. Taylor is also in the running for the best nickname ever given to a quarterback with ‘T-Mobile’, just brilliant.
The veteran is in the last year of his deal ($5.3 million cap hit) and will be an unrestricted free agent in March.
Evaluating the State of the Position
Right now Wilson is the only quarterback that is under contract for 2022, so the Jets will have to make some moves this offseason.
Mike White showed some pop when given the opportunity to play and has maintained he’d like to be a Jet for many years to come. The Jets will tender him as a restricted free agent, but that leaves the door open for another NFL team to offer him a contract sheet.
At that point, the green and white will have a chance to match or let him walk for future draft compensation. They really like White in the building and in an ideal world he can be their long-term backup quarterback.
Another player both head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas like a lot is veteran Joe Flacco. He was on the team in 2020 but left in free agency to join the Philadelphia Eagles because he had a better chance to start there.
Things didn’t work out as he was relegated to a backup role which made him expendable ahead of this year’s NFL trade deadline. Saleh and company jumped at the opportunity to acquire a former Super Bowl MVP for a conditional sixth-round draft choice.
Now Flacco will once again be a free agent, will he spurn the Jets again? Or perhaps he could return to the team on a very friendly cap number.
There is still a lot to be determined, but the Jets will certainly explore the waters this offseason and that’ll very much include Taylor.
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Jets Listed as ‘Potential Suitor’ for Dual-Threat QB, Says NFL Insider