No one knows what the New York Jets will do after the season.
Well, actually there are two things everyone knows the Jets will do — hire a new general manager and head coach.
After that, little is clear.
So, one is left to try and figure out what may be next. For a fan base that has seen this franchise start over so many times, the temptation is to believe that the franchise will just do it again.
Not so fast, says New York Jets insider Rick Cimini, who works for ESPN, doesn’t believe the Jets are going to completely tear things down.
On his “Flight Deck” podcast, Cimini answered a half-dozen questions from listeners, including one in which he was asked if the Jets would lean toward a rookie quarterback, which would lead to a total rebuild or more of a retool of the team.
Cimini believes the Jets will opt for the latter.
In his opinion, the roster isn’t so bad that it requires a tear-down. Yes, the Jets have a significant number of free agents that may not be asked back. But there are a number of young stars and veteran players under contract to build around.
The larger issue, he believes, is the face that the Jets likely won’t draft high enough to select either of the quarterbacks most believe will be the top two passers in the draft.
“I don't think they're going to be in position to draft one of these two quarterbacks, either Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward,” he said. “I'm guessing those will be the top two quarterbacks drafted, and I'm not even sure either one of them is a blue chip, super blue chip-type guy that you want to build around.”
He believes the Jets will look for a “bridge quarterback,” someone that can get them through 2025. He also believes it’s possible the Jets could take a quarterback on the second day of the draft and continues to develop Jordan Travis, who was selected in April but was not going to play this year as he continued his rehab from the gruesome leg injury that ended his college career.
One name he mentioned as that “bridge quarterback” was current backup Tyrod Taylor.
He did not mention Aaron Rodgers, though the question wasn’t directly about Rodgers.
Rodgers has indicated that he isn’t sure if he will play next season and may need a month after the season to figure it out. Meanwhile, the Jets will hire a new head coach and general manager.
And then they will set the course for what happens next.
