What will the New York Jets do at quarterback?
It's a question that is coming up a lot these days and one that doesn't appear to have an answer just yet. Geno Smith, in his second season last year, struggled mightily as the starting quarterback. Smith completed 59.7 percent of his passes while throwing for 2,525 yards with 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 14 games. The Jets finished the season ranked dead last in passing yards per game (184.1).
New York went out and traded for veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick earlier this offseason. Fitzpatrick completed 63.1 percent of his passes while throwing for 2,483 yards with 17 touchdowns against eight interceptions in 12 games for the Houston Texans last year. While his numbers weren't terrible, the Texans lost five of his last eight starts to fall out of playoff contention.
New Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan spoke to the media Thursday about a number of things, one of which was the QB spot on New York's roster.
"Much like his predecessor, John Idzik, Maccagnan declined to give a specific characterization of the quarterback situation," ESPN Jets reporter Rich Cimini wrote. "Is it an open competition or not? He said it's too early to label it. The only way the dynamic changes between now and training camp is if they make a key acquisition. Marcus Mariota, perhaps? One thing you have to like about Maccagnan is that, unlike Idzik, he's not trying to take control of the quarterback decisions. He said he's deferring to Todd Bowles, which is the way it should be."
As things currently stand, one would expect Smith and Fitzpatrick to compete for the job once training camp opens. But, as Cimini mentioned, if the Jets get their hands on Mariota in the upcoming NFL draft, all bets are off. For what it's worth, ESPN NFL Draft Insider Mel Kiper Jr. projects Mariota to fall to New York in his most recent Mock Draft.
"As I've said before, the reality is New York is no closer to knowing who its potential long-term solution at QB is than it was after the second day of the 2013 NFL draft," Kiper wrote. "It's also pretty clear there isn't much to be found in free agency. I do think Mariota has been fantastic during the process, with very good workouts and spectacular interviews at the NFL combine, and I think he's been able to assuage some fears that he was merely a system-keeper at Oregon. You can question whether he's ready to help a team win games in 2015, but you can't question Mariota's physical profile or his potential to improve and grow as an NFL quarterback given his attitude and work habits."
