What the New York Jets will do at the quarterback position this offseason is a total mystery.
Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report did his best to try and predict what will happen in 2025.
He predicted that Aaron Rodgers would retire this offseason, leaving a void at QB1 for the Jets. Additionally, Gagnon predicted the Jets would bring back two former quarterbacks from their past to replace Rodgers.
“Sam Darnold to the Jets, who also sign Geno Smith: That’s right, I’ve got Gang Green bringing back two former starters who have since excelled in new settings and pitting them against each other on prove-it contracts. It seems wacky but it’s very Jets, and it’s not a terrible strategy when you might not have great options in the draft and want to bolster your odds of hitting the jackpot,” Gagnon explained.
The Premise Doesn’t Seem to Check Out
Darnold signed a one-year deal for $10 million to join the Minnesota Vikings last offseason. Smith still has one year left on his $75 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks through 2025.
The Seahawks could get out of it by cutting Smith but they’d eat $13.5 million in dead cap, per Spotrac.
Gagnon predicted that the Jets could bring both of them in on “prove it contracts.” That doesn’t make any sense.
Darnold signed a prove-it deal with the Vikings in 2024, why would he need another? The former USC product is having a heck of a year this season with a 67.6% completion percentage [career high] and he has 21 passing touchdowns [also a career high]. The Vikings still have another six games left in the regular season for Darnold to be able to pad those numbers further.
According to Spotrac’s calculated market value, Darnold is expected to sign a four-year deal for $129 million in free agency. That $32.4 million annual salary would place him No. 15 among the highest-paid quarterbacks in football, per Over The Cap.
Would Either Player Want to Return to the Jets?
The actual financial details don’t seem to make sense, but let’s assume all of that could be worked out. Would Smith and/or Darnold want to have a family reunion with the Jets?
Sam was the No. 3 overall pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft. The Jets have been blamed for his development issues because of a lack of a support system around him. While Smith’s Jets career spun out of control after breaking his jaw in a strange locker room incident and the job got stolen by Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Darnold is going to have plenty of suitors after his terrific season with the Vikings in 2024. If Smith were cut, he’d be a hot commodity. In his five seasons with Seattle, Smith has 67 touchdowns to 33 interceptions, a 68% completion percentage, and has thrown for 11,676 passing yards.
Rodgers admitted to the media that he’s not sure if he wants to play football in 2025. So the retirement prediction by Gagnon might not be far off. If he does, the Jets might have to find some alternatives at the quarterback position and it’s unclear if Darnold or Smith will be legitimate options for the Jets.
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