The New York Jets will be riding with Joe Flacco for the foreseeable future at starting quarterback while Zach Wilson recovers from arthroscopic knee surgery.
There is optimism for the second-year quarterback after he sustained a knee injury during Saturday's preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles. According to reports on Tuesday, Wilson's surgery was deemed a success after no surprises were found from his original diagnosis.
The hope for the Jets is that Wilson will be able to return to the field after 2-4 weeks, but ESPN's Rich Cimini says the team will not put him back on the field until he's 100%.
Going forward in the short-term, though, barring an external move, that would leave Flacco to handle starting duties for the Jets.
Obviously, there are upgrades at the position. The most obvious and attainable one would be trading for Jimmy Garoppolo, who the San Francisco 49ers have made abundantly clear is available.
But the Jets apparently like Flacco to the point they're willing to ride things out with him, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport said Monday on the "Pat McAfee Show."
"The hope is that Zach Wilson gets a trim rather than a full repair of the meniscus," Rapoport said. "There's a lot of optimism that it's just going to be just a trim, along with the bone bruise, which is not surgical. They think he's going to be OK earlier in the season. But when it seemed on Saturday night that he wasn't going to be, I wondered about Jimmy G, but it seems like it's going to be Flacco. Like, they really like where Joe Flacco is, in this offense especially."
Maybe Flacco is a palatable option, but making a move for Garoppolo would be preferred if Wilson is out longer.
The Jets should be better this year than last, no doubt, but they also need to be realistic about their chances of competing this season. Garoppolo might not represent such a huge upgrade that it would be worth making the move and losing an asset instead of just crossing their fingers with Flacco. Even then, what seems more likely is the Jets waiting to see if Garoppolo gets cut.
There are a few veteran free agents, including Cam Newton, Mike Glennon and A.J. McCarron. Not exactly the most ideal collection of quarterbacks, especially if the Jets feel as fondly about Flacco, as Rapoport suggests they do.
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