The Jets crashed back down to earth in the back half of the season, but New York showed enough promise this year to think it could become a legitimate threat in 2023 with the right decisions this offseason.
Issue No. 1 is figuring out who the quarterback will be next year.
Year 2 for Zach Wilson offered more questions than answers, and at this point it would be more surprising than not if Wilson is their long-term option at the position. Mike White has been fine in a pinch, but probably isn’t going to be the savior.
For Joe Benigno, their best option is Derek Carr.
“I think this guy has very good upside,” Benigno said Monday in his weekly appearance on “Tiki & Tierney.” “I would take a shot with Derek Carr, he’s only 32-years-old, he had almost an MVP season a few years ago. He did take them to the playoffs last year – they lost a tough game in the playoffs to the Bengals last year in the first round.
“I’d take a shot at him, and I think there’s an upside. You get him out of the Raiders and I think you might have something with this guy, and I think he’s a guy you can get pretty soon. I don’t think you have to wait until March 15th to get Derek Carr."
Carr will be one of the better options on the market when the Raiders inevitably cut him. Las Vegas was a mess for much of this season, but its problems went deeper than Carr. He played at a high enough level recently enough to suggest a rebound could be possible with a change of scenery.
If not Carr, the Jets could go the blockbuster route and see if they could pry Lamar Jackson or Aaron Rodgers (if he doesn’t retire) away from their current teams. There’s also the stopgap route of someone like Jimmy Garoppolo, who has a winning pedigree but comes with question marks and wouldn’t be the long-term option.
“I don’t love Lamar Jackson, it’s two years in a row now that he’s gotten hurt, I think he’s extremely overrated,” Benigno said. “He’s a runner, he’s never beaten you in the pocket, he’s won one playoff game. And he’s going to cost you your first born.
“Aaron Rodgers, I don’t think he’s ever coming to the Jets. The problem with Aaron Rodgers, again, he would cost you the sun, the moon and the stars. And you’ve got to win with him – if you don’t win, like now, with him – going to the AFC Championship is not enough with Aaron Rodgers, OK?
“I like Garoppolo a lot, I like him a lot, but he gets hurt a lot. He’s a winner, but he gets hurt a lot.”
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It’s not just quarterback that needs addressing, and there are some big question marks facing the coaching staff.
Chief among them being the future of offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, who was maligned often this season as Wilson and the offense repeatedly sputtered.
Benigno, who has been as harsh on LaFleur and Robert Saleh as anyone, thinks they should get one more chance with a better quarterback.
“(Saleh has) talked all along about the 49er model, and he always talks about that,” Benigno said. “With Shanahan, the second year I think they went 4-12, they went to the Super Bowl in Year 3. He’s been preaching Year 3, Year 3, Year 3. OK, so now you’re going to get Year 3, you better get me to the playoffs or otherwise there won’t be a Year 4. That’s my feeling on Saleh right now.
“As much as I don’t like LaFleur, I almost say give him another year with a real quarterback. You know what, bring them all back, I really feel this way, bring them all back and give them this last shot. Otherwise, they’re all gone.”
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