Jets Urged to Pay QB ‘the Bag’ Ahead of 2023 Free Agency

Getty New York Jets quarterback Mike White celebrates with wide receiver Garrett Wilson in Week 12.

It’s a somewhat unique victory Monday in New York after a quarterback change divided the Jets fanbase in Week 12. As we know, there are the Mike White followers and the Zach Wilson truthers, as well as a good deal of people somewhere in between.

That makes for a very interesting Week 13 showdown with a 9-2 Minnesota Vikings franchise. Will the good times keep on rolling for White? Or will the cult hero crash back down to earth as he did against the Buffalo Bills last season?

As always, Heavy on Jets writers Paul ‘Boy Green’ Esden Jr and Michael Obermuller are back to discuss and debate everything Gang Green. This week will touch on the “QB controversy,” the curious case of Mike LaFleur, offensive improvements, Vikings predictions and a look ahead to White’s 2023 free-agent market.

Most recent mailbags:

• Week 66: Week 8 miscues, the NFL trade deadline & Week 9 predictions.
• Week 67: Updated 2022 goals, bounce-backs vs Bills & Zach Wilson predictions.
• Week 68: Bye week changes, who must be benched & Week 11 predictions.
• Week 69: Pull the plug on Zach Wilson? 2023 QB options & Week 12 predictions.

Jets QB Drama: Mike White vs. Zach Wilson

1. The quarterback controversy is obviously the big storyline here, so let’s get to it. Does Zach Wilson rout the Chicago Bears defense if he starts?

Boy Green:

You cheeky bastard! I see what you are trying to do here. Yes. My grandmother would have routed the Bears defense. They are a complete trash bag filled with rotten mangos. That is what made this QB change by the Jets brass so interesting.

As Michael mentioned in his answer last week, Wilson has demons against the New England Patriots and has struggled when facing Bill Belichick. To be fair, most young quarterbacks do.

However, this Bears defense traded away its two best players and lost its third-best player early in the contest. White’s performance was still epic in every possible way but to answer your question — yes, Wilson would have gotten back on track by playing this Bears team.

Would that have sparked a turnaround? Would the carriage transform back into the pumpkin with harder competition (road trips to Minnesota and Buffalo)? I guess we’ll never know.

Obermuller:

Yes, Wilson beats the Bears pretty handily if you ask me. For all the criticism he’s received, the youngster went 5-2 against one of the toughest defensive wringers I can remember a Jets QB having to play in a long time.

I understand that he had a lot of help, but that fact is not lost on me and it shouldn’t be lost on fans. Wilson has a lot to clean up with his game but the Jets were hardly pressured in this one and wide receivers and tight ends were running wide-open. The rushing attack was more productive too.

Overall, the better team flexed their muscles on Sunday and that always helps a quarterback look the part. Wilson would have done just fine if he had started vs Chicago.

2. Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur has appeared way more comfortable calling plays with pocket passers during his first two years with the Jets. In hindsight, why do you think this regime drafted a prospect like Zach Wilson who does not excel from the pocket?

BG:

I’m not sure if it’s a pocket thing, I just think it’s mainly an experience thing. I get it, White’s outing was different but he had a unique path to the NFL where he got to sit and watch a lot before being thrown to the wolves.

Zach Wilson is young and he wants to make plays. Sometimes that’ll lead him away from the structure of the offense but I still think he’s a natural fit.

Who were the other choices? Justin Fields (mobile guy), Trey Lance? I mean hindsight is 20/20 but I think the Jets made the right move at the time and we’ll see if it ends up being a bust.

MO:

Well, if you’re talking pocket passers, the clear choice from that draft class was Mac Jones. Now personally, I was a Fields guy with Wilson as my number two option.

I believe the NFL has transitioned into a dual-threat league and you pretty much need a top-seven QB talent to contend for Super Bowls on a consistent basis. I’m talking about franchises like the Kansas City Chiefs, Bills, Baltimore Ravens, and potentially the Philadelphia Eagles or Cincinnati Bengals that either have been or should be in the upper echelon so long as their signal-caller is healthy.

That’s why the Cleveland Browns sold their soul for a talent like Deshaun Watson, or the Denver Broncos (foolishly) with Russell Wilson — because special QB talent is few and far between and it’s not easy to beat Patrick Mahomes at Arrowhead Stadium every year in the AFC championship without it.

I’m rambling here, but I think that’s because the actual question baffles me. The Jets committed to this theory above when they drafted Wilson — that developing a risky dual-threat upside QB is more important than a sound pocket passer — so what changed? The defense is ahead of schedule, but does that alter the entire plan?

It’s a tricky situation, but LaFleur better learn how to utilize Wilson’s strengths if he has any future with this franchise going forward.

3. Everything about this offense improved in Week 12 (offensive line, run game, wide receiver separation, QB performance), which turnaround surprised you most and how much of it do you attribute to beating up on a bad team?

BG:

A very interesting question. I think the QB performance sparked everything else, to be honest.

The defense allowed 10 points on the first two drives and a lot of us were caught off guard. The difference in this particular case is that the Jets offense was able to step up and support that side of the roster until they were able to get their sea legs under them.

As I said in a previous answer, I think it was buoyed by the fact that this Bears defense is trash, but it came at a perfect time considering the disaster this offense was last week in New England. The engine is now completely revving heading into arguably their most difficult stretch of the season over the next two weeks on paper.

MO:

Lost in the shuffle of the quarterback drama were all the returnees on offense. From Corey Davis to Max Mitchell, plus an unexpected debut for rookie running back Zonovan “Bam” Knight who was spectacular.

As Boy Green stated, this offense was firing on all cylinders behind White and I think confidence was the key. Like LaFleur, the supporting cast appears to have more confidence in the more game-ready backup, and it showed.

I wouldn’t say anything surprised me too much against this Chicago defense — I predicted an easy win with Wilson at quarterback and that didn’t change with White taking over — but the improvements at WR did make me chuckle and shake my head a bit. Is it just me, or are some of these guys running routes a little harder and separating a little more consistently for their preferred QB?

Will Vikings Test Snap Mike White Fever?

4. If White goes on a run as the starting quarterback and secures the role heading into a potential playoff berth, would you pay him somewhere around $10-15 million to start in 2023?

BG:

To be honest, I don’t think we need the “if” anymore. I fully expect White to be the starting quarterback for the rest of the year and with that, will clinch our first playoff berth in over 11 years. The interesting factoid people may be unaware of is White is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in 2023 — talk about timing.

Wilson is the only quarterback under contract next year and the Jets will have the chance to pay White before he reaches free agency. He obviously loves being here and the coaching staff and team love him too. I’d hand him a juicy two or three-year deal that pays him between $20 and $30 million, with an average annual salary of around $11.5 million per year (might be willing to go a few million above that number).

That would place him in the $16-19 million range in terms of annual salary in 2023. Here are the quarterbacks getting paid in that range as of now: Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, and Mitchell Trubisky. This Mike White thing isn’t a fluke — this is a guy who can be the long-term backup at a minimum and he’s showing he can be a lot more than that. Give White the bag and let’s get crazy.

MO:

Wow, I cannot believe what I’m hearing from Mr. Zach Wilson Boy Green himself. After the Bills win, you told us all to keep the receipt on the BYU product, voicing that “by the end of the season, Wilson will be an unquestioned top quarterback in this league.”

Sorry partner, but I got to use you as examples A, B and C on this one. Recency bias is real and Jets fans tend to get ahead of themselves at the quarterback position. They’ve done it with every prospect since Joe Namath and they’re doing it *again* with White after a victory over a bad defense.

As of now, I’m not paying White a dime in 2023 and I’m certainly not paying him beyond that. I need to see more, but he does have a huge opportunity to prove himself against the Vikings and Bills. If he looks lousy or even average against top competition, I’m switching back to developing Wilson as the primary quarterback.

5. We both got back to winning alongside the Jets in Week 12. Looking ahead to Week 13 in Minnesota, who are you backing on the ‘W’ and what will the score be? (both BG & MO are 7-4 picking Jets outcomes on the year)

BG:

What an intriguing game we have next on the docket. Unfortunately, the road warrior streak came to a screeching halt against the Patriots and now they’ll travel to play the 9-2 Minnesota Vikings.

That is the second-best record in all of football and this will be the ultimate test for both White and this stout Jets defense.

The Purple People Eaters have weapons all over the place and this will be a hostile environment, but give me the Jets to get the massive upset on the road winning 29-25 and putting themselves firmly in a position to potentially lock up a playoff spot sooner rather than later.

MO:

This is a tough one for me. I’ve said many times this season that I think the Vikes are overrated, and a bit of a phony for a nine-win team. They do have a ton of playmakers on offense but Kirk Cousins is unspectacular as the signal-caller.

On the flip side, I also believe White is overrated, flying high off a favorable matchup. The Jets O-line faced a very weak pass rush in Week 12, but Week 13 will pit them against Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith. The pair of veteran edge rushers have combined for 16.5 sacks this season and White has historically made bad decisions once the pocket breaks down around him.

He threw two near-interceptions against the Bears and I think he throws at least one against Minnesota. My other concern is Dalvin Cook. A similar player in David Montgomery shredded Jets linebackers both on the ground and through the air vs Chicago. Cook is the better version behind a stronger offensive line.

For the record, I’m not sure Wilson or White wins this game for the Jets. I’ll say the Vikes hold firm at home for victory number 10, by a score of 27-20.