The NFL combine hasn’t even really started yet but that isn’t stopping “silly season” from getting under way as multiple rumors have already surfaced in regards to the Jets QB situation.
While Matt Lombardo said on one hand that the Jets are expected to go hard after quarterback Malik Willis, Tony Pauline played the flip side of that coin and said the Jets are expected to pinch their pennies in pursuit of a QB along the lines of Davis Mills or Tanne McKee. Two polar opposite takes in the span of a few hours.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport says he wouldn’t be surprised if Willis were to command up to $35 million per year. That would be a sizeable number for Willis, but based on what young starting quarterbacks make in 2025, it’s not all that far-fetched. Now of course the Jets could go cheaper and sign somebody like Mills, who completed 57% of his passes in 3 starts last season, but then you’re stuck with Davis Mills as your quarterback.
How the Jets approach the quarterback situation and the draft this season should give us some idea as to just how much urgency there is out of 1 Jets Drive to end the team’s playoff drought. Should they add a player of Mills or McKee’s stature, it would suggest there’s no rush to make the postseason.
On draft day, an immediate impact starter with no real question marks such as safety Caleb Downs would suggest urgency to get better, whereas drafting a longer-term project such as Arvell Reese would tell us they’re not as concerned with immediate results. Now, this isn’t to say Reese doesn’t have the ability to be an all-world player, because he certainly does. But most seem to believe he’ll move around a bit between linebacker and edge rusher over his first couple of seasons before settling in at any one spot. If the Jets share that vision and take him at two, it shows more of a long-term goal of success versus trying to win right now.
