The New York Jets present looks very good at quarterback with Aaron Rodgers at the helm.
However, it is unclear who is the long-term QB1 for the green and white. ESPN NFL Insider Dan Graziano said that could be Carolina Panthers youngster Bryce Young.
He said, “Don’t sleep” on the Jets as a landing spot for Young if the Panthers make him available via trade.
Young was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. He is in the second year of a $37 million rookie contract.
Young Would Be a Worthwhile Gamble for the Jets
The Jets boast the oldest quarterback room in football. Rodgers is 40 years of age and Tyrod Taylor is 35.
During April’s draft, the Jets took a random dart throw at Jordan Travis out of Florida State. He was the No. 171 overall pick in the fifth round. The Jets are just hoping he can be a long-term backup quarterback, let alone a potential franchise passer.
Travis is an older prospect already 24 years of age in his rookie campaign. While Young is only 23 and he is in the midst of his second professional season.
There is a chance that Young is a bust, but there is also a chance that he was just in a very dysfunctional situation that couldn’t breed success and anyone would have failed.
Young was benched by the Panthers heading into Week 3. Carolina came out and said they won’t trade Young, but according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, “sources around the league believe it is only a matter of time before Carolina completes a deal involving the second-year quarterback.”
It’s unclear what exactly Young’s value would be on the trade block, but Schefter said “he is still expected to return some trade value to Carolina.”
Jets Would Allow Young to Develop Behind the Scenes
As long as Young remains on the Panthers roster, he will face the expectations of being a former No. 1 overall pick. The moment he is traded to any other team, Young’s expectations will change dramatically.
If he got dealt to the Jets he would be nothing more than a developmental QB3. Maybe he will work out and become a long-term franchise quarterback. Or maybe he just isn’t that guy.
If the price isn’t too exorbitant it is certainly worth a kick of the tires for the Jets to explore.
Young has started 18 games in his career. During that period, he has completed 59.3% of his passes, has thrown for 3,122 passing yards, and has an 11-touchdown to 13-interception ratio.
Last year the Jets had a joint practice scheduled with the Panthers and Rodgers had some nice words of encouragement for Young.
“I like the kid a lot. We share an agent, so I’ve known about him for a long time. I loved watching him in college, I like his demeanor. I like his movement, I like the way he throws,” Rodgers said back in 2023 about Young.
Aaron Rodgers on Bryce Young: I think Carolina is in good hands.
The Jets are intimately familiar with quarterbacks being drafted with massive expectations, failing, and going somewhere else and finding success.
New York drafted Geno Smith and Sam Darnold. For a variety of reasons, neither player worked out, but they bounced around the league and eventually found varying levels of success. Maybe Young can too.
