Joe Douglas knows he needs to fill the holes on the Jets roster. The offensive line, cornerback, pass rush and wide receiver are the obvious gaps, but he should also target finding a good, veteran backup quarterback for Sam Darnold.
We talked about the top backups the Jets should target, but there are also a lot of quarterbacks they should avoid. If the Jets want to make sure the offense operates at a high level should Darnold go down with injury, they need to find someone who is a mix of experienced, proficient and cheap. They won’t be able to find someone that’s all three, but they definitely can’t afford to sign someone who isn’t either experienced or proficient.
Here are the top four backup quarterbacks the Jets shouldn’t sign.
Marcus Mariota
Mariota is an intriguing option as a player but wouldn’t fit well with the Jets and Adam Gase, who prefers pocket-passers over mobile quarterbacks. Mariota can do both, but Gase needs someone who could step up at a moment’s notice and there’s no real indication Mariota could do that without understanding the offense.
Another problem with Mariota is his inability to avoid sacks. He was sacked on 13.5 percent of passing attempts in 2019 for the Titans despite only playing in seven games. His backup and eventual replacement, Ryan Tannehill, was sacked on 9.8 percent of passing attempts.
Mariota does have promise, though, which could be a negative thing as a Jets backup. For one, he’d likely command a salary the Jets shouldn’t spend on a backup. For another, Gase can’t afford to roster a backup that the fans could clamor for if Darnold has another disappointing game. It could zap his confidence and hinder the team’s long-term success.
A.J. McCarron
Once heralded as a premier backup, McCarron bopped between three teams over the past three seasons without much in-game play. He’s only started four games in his career with a 2-2 record and has attempted 54 passes since 2017. McCarron isn’t terribly athletic or accurate, neither of which bodes well for a potential emergency backup.
The Jets need a playmaker in a pinch and McCarron is more of a game-manager than someone who could actively lead them to victory. While he’s played in the league since 2014, he also doesn’t offer much in veteran mentorship for Darnold.
Brett Hundley
The Jets need a veteran backup with quality starts. Hundley doesn’t have many despite nine starts in 2017 for the Green Bay Packers. He’s thrown only nine touchdowns to 13 career interceptions and completed only 59.1 percent of his passing attempts in his 18 appearances since 2015.
Hundley will be a cheaper option but likely not the best option considering the other backup-level players on the market. He’s a veteran in that he’s been in the league since 2015, but he doesn’t have the requisite experience the Jets should be looking for in a backup.
Sean Mannion
Mannion has the fewest starts of anyone on this list – he’s 0-2 as well – and that’s the biggest knock against him as a backup. The Jets can’t afford another situation like 2019 where the backup quarterback doesn’t have enough starting NFL experience to run an offense. Mannion has 74 career passing attempts since he was taken in the third round of the 2015 draft by the Rams and has never thrown a touchdown.
The Jets need someone who can quickly pick up Gase’s offense and play at a high level if anything were to happen to Darnold. Signing Mannion would be worse than re-signing any of the Jets’ backups from this past season.
