Another New York Jets QB target is off the board.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport revealed on social media that veteran quarterback Carson Wentz is signing a one-year deal to stay with the Minnesota Vikings. He is set to be the third significant QB in that room, along with J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray.
After the Jets traded for Geno Smith from the Las Vegas Raiders, Wentz was the projected favorite to sign in New York to be the QB2.
Wentz, 33, will turn 34 during the 2026 NFL season. He won a Super Bowl ring as an injured quarterback on the bench, was named a Pro Bowler in 2017, and a second-team All-Pro in 2017.
Frank Reich – Wentz Connections
NFL Insider Connor Hughes of SNY reported that the Jets were “squarely in the mix” for Wentz after the Smith trade.
Things suddenly changed as Wentz received other opportunities beyond the Jets’ gig.
“There has been a lot of interest in Carson Wentz, and we’ve stressed this over and over and over on this podcast. Frank Reich loves Carson Wentz. Frank Reich wants Carson Wentz, not to be his starter; Geno Smith is going to be the starter, but he wants Carson Wentz in his room,” Hughes explained on “Jets Final Drive.”
After Wentz was initially pegged as the favorite, it quickly evolved to “unlikely.”
Hughes refused to call Wentz to the Jets “dead” last week, but he said that it was increasingly unlikely.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini said, “There will be no Wentz-Reich reunion, so the Jets’ search for a QB2 continues.”
Reich and Wentz crossed over with the Philadelphia Eagles and with the Indianapolis Colts.
Hughes bluntly said, “Vikings better spot for him at moment.”
“The Jets had interest in Carson Wentz at one point but he had more interest in returning to Minnesota,” Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic explained.
The Targets Are Flying off the Board
On Wednesday, March 18, the Jets lost another QB target.
The Carolina Panthers struck a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for veteran passer Andy Dalton. Philly flipped a 2027 seventh-rounder to Carolina for Dalton.
Dalton is another QB who had ties to Reich. In 2023, when Frank was the head coach of the Panthers, he signed Dalton as a free agent. He was a rumored target of the Jets, but that didn’t come to fruition.
QBs Are Running to Fill New York’s Void
The green and white have to look at themselves in the mirror. They aren’t the prettiest girl at the ball.
Smith is going to be the QB1 for the Jets. The Jets are looking to fill the QB2 void.
Wentz preferred being a potential QB3 with the Purple People Eaters versus a QB2 with the Jets.
However, beat reporter Nick Faria joined me on “Boy Green Daily” and explained that the Jets shouldn’t shed any tears from missing out on Wentz. He said there are plenty of other paths the team could take to fill that void.
There are two paths the team could take. They could add a proven veteran who knows the system. Or the could add a younger less proven player who has upside.
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