The New York Jets are 2-8 this season. They have a coach and general manager that will likely be fired. They have maybe just one more winnable game on their schedule (Week 15 against the Tennessee Titans).
The Jets are in desperate need of a quarterback. Although Geno Smith's second-round cost was worth it at the time, it's clear he isn't the future at the position. Michael Vick is 34 years old. The most reliable route to a franchise quarterback is through the draft, and New York is competing with the Titans, Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a top-two pick. Fortunately for New York, the Raiders and Jaguars are unlikely to take a QB after using high draft picks on the position last year.
"Here's the good news for the Jets, you've got to stink a little to get a good rookie quarterback," an executive with another team told the New York Post. "With Oakland and Jacksonville not really needing one, it's a silver lining for Jets fans taking a long-term view. You never concede things in this league, but it's something Jets fans can focus on."
Right now, the Jets would be deciding between Oregon's Marcus Mariota and Florida State's Jameis Winston, should they be in a position to select a signal-caller at the top of the draft.
"I hesitate to say franchise quarterback, but there are two quarterbacks that project to be quarterbacks that you can build your organization around - Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston," said ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay.
But which quarterback is the right one to take? Nobody wants to be the Ryan Leaf to someone else's Peyton Manning.
"Off the field, it's night and day," one league executive said. "Mariota is a choirboy, quiet, a great teammate, etc. On the field, Mariota is more athletic with a better arm. Both are poised in pocket and can make plays moving around. Jamies makes a lot of careless throws, and his vision is not as good. I like Mariota better as a player, and with the intangibles, it's not even a discussion."
None of that is to say Winston isn't talented. He's the reigning Heisman Trophy winner with a National Championship under his belt. He's thrown for 2,540 yards with 17 touchdowns against 11 interceptions while completing 66.7 percent of his passes this season. He's also rushed for three scores. But his on-field results may not be enough to overcome concerns about his character.
"McShay said he has spoken with 12 teams and all 12 believe Winston's draft stock will be negatively affected and he will drop in the draft, especially after all of the negative attention the off-field issues of NFL stars (think: Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson) have drawn in recent months."
One thing is clear: the Jets need to upgrade at quarterback. Just who exactly that upgrade will be remains to be seen.
