The New York Jets are monitoring a very interesting name ahead of free agency kicking off this offseason.
NFL Insider Connor Hughes of SNY said Kansas City Chiefs veteran quarterback Carson Wentz is someone “to keep an eye on.”
“The Jets are far more likely to dabble in the second-tier-veteran-quarterback market, sources who met with the team in Indianapolis told SNY. They came away from those meetings believing that the Jets’ plan is to pair Tyrod Taylor with another veteran and then draft someone on Day 2 (or trade up late in the first round to have the fifth-year option),” Hughes explained.
Wentz Has Intriguing QB Resume in the NFL
Wentz, 32, entered the league as the No. 2 overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft. During his nine years in the NFL, Wentz has played for five different teams.
The former North Dakota State product had great success with the Philadelphia Eagles being named second-team All-Pro in 2017. That was also the season that he nearly won the league’s MVP award, but a devasting season-ending torn ACL injury suffered in Week 14 prevented that from becoming a reality.
When Wentz went down, veteran Nick Foles became the starter and helped carry the team to its first Super Bowl championship.
Even after the injury, Wentz had some solid seasons for the Eagles but they ended up making a quarterback switch to Jalen Hurts. That led to a Wentz trade to the Indianapolis Colts and he has bounced around the league ever since.
The veteran quarterback has served as a spot starter and primary backup since the middle of the 2022 season with the Washington Commanders.
Wentz has appeared in 98 games and has made 94 starts. He has accumulated 22,410 passing yards, has a 153 touchdown to 67 interception ratio, and has completed 62.7% of his passes.
This Would Be a Complete Philosophy Switch at QB for the Jets
In 2023 the Jets went all in to win a Super Bowl by trading for Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers.
Two years later the Jets are considering a bargain-shopping strategy at the quarterback position. Time flies.
Last year Wentz signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs for $3.32 million with $2.2 million of that guaranteed to be a backup quarterback. In 2025 Spotrac’s calculated market value projects Wentz to make even less. Wentz is expected to command a one-year deal for $1.9 million this offseason. According to Spotrac, that would rank No. 36 among the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL.
If the Jets go through with this decision it would be very telling.
“People who have met with the New York Jets tell me the team is ready to go into the season with Tyrod Taylor as the starting quarterback,” NFL Insider Tony Pauline wrote for Sportskeeda coming out of the NFL Combine.
If the Jets feel that confident in Taylor they obviously wouldn’t need another significant addition at the QB position.
However, with Taylor’s questionable injury history, they will need a reliable backup quarterback just in case. Taylor hasn’t been a full-time starter in the NFL in eight years – back when he was with the Buffalo Bills.
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