The New York Jets are eyeing a longtime veteran quarterback to help fill a massive void.
NFL Insider Connor Hughes of SNY revealed that Washington Commanders QB Marcus Mariota is a “name to keep an eye on” for the Jets in free agency.
Mariota, 31, entered the NFL as the No. 2 overall pick in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft. He won the Heisman trophy during his final collegiate season at Oregon in 2014.
Jets Attempting an Interesting Strategy at QB This Offseason
It appears the Jets plan at quarterback is to survive in 2025 and kick the can down the road on trying to find a long-term answer.
“The Jets are far more likely to dabble in the second-tier-veteran-quarterback market,” Hughes explained.
Mariota is not a name that’ll excite you.
The former Oregon product hasn’t been a full-time starter since 2022. Mariota got a chance to be the guy with the Atlanta Falcons during that season. He threw for 2,219 passing yards, had a 15 touchdown to 9 interception ratio, and he completed 61.3% of his passes.
After appearing in 13 games, Mariota was benched in favor of then rookie Desmond Ridder.
Before 2022, Mariota hadn’t been a full-time starter since 2019 with the Tennessee Titans.
For the majority of the last six seasons, Mariota has been a spot starter and primary backup at the quarterback position.
With the Jets he would once again have a chance to compete for a starting gig versus fellow veteran Tyrod Taylor in 2025.
Jets Better Have a Good Plan or Be Ready to Explain What Went Wrong
Since Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey were hired as the new Jets brass they have delivered a consistent message of they came here to win now.
That message has been delivered publicly and privately to the players.
“I’ve talked to AG a couple of times and I’m very excited. He’s one of those coaches that is straightforward with you,” Jets linebacker Quincy Williams told BBC Sport NI via Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. “The first thing he said was ‘I came here to win, not to rebuild’ and I’m on the same page as him and ready to win.”
Quincy Williams was in Dublin for the launch of the #Jets Girls Flag league in Ireland and spoke to some reporters. He told BBC Sport NI this about Aaron Glenn:
“I’ve talked to AG a couple of times and I’m very excited. He’s one of those coaches that is straightforward with…
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) March 6, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The sexy thing to tell the fans and players is the win now speech. It pumps everyone up and suggests things are about to be a lot different around here.
The Jets have one winning season over the last 14 years. They haven’t eclipsed the eight win total since 2015.
Brian Costello of the New York Post joined me on “Boy Green Daily” and said he has taken notice of the messaging.
“I thought it was interesting that they kept saying we are going to win now. I get what they’re trying to do. That messaging is to the players currently on the roster. Remember there isn’t a team meeting until April 7 I think it is when the spring program begins. Aaron Glenn won’t be in front of his team for another six weeks or so. The only way to get messaging out is through us [the media],” Costello explained to me. “So I think he is talking to them. He is talking to prospective free agents that this is not going to be a rebuild. But I think what is interesting Paul is I think they are raising the stakes for themselves.”
It isn’t to say that Glenn and his regime should say that they plan on losing their first year. Coz brought up Robert Saleh’s first year for the Jets in 2021 and that messaging was very different.
“Saleh’s first year was about we are young [and] it’s about growth this year. Okay [with that] the expectations were low. So if you’re going to set the expectations high, you better deliver something,” Costello said.
In other words, Glenn is painting a win now picture on his canvas without having a proven QB1 plan for this season.
“It’s a bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off for ’em.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Jets Targeting Heisman Trophy Winning QB in Free Agency appeared first on Heavy Sports.