Ranking 5 New York Jets quarterback options to replace Aaron Rodgers

If Aaron Rodgers is out for the season, what veteran stop-gap can the Jets sign to stay competitive in 2023?
Philadelphia Eagles v New England Patriots
Philadelphia Eagles v New England Patriots / Maddie Meyer/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
Carson Wentz, Commanders, Aaron Rodgers
Carson Wentz, Washington Commanders / Todd Olszewski/GettyImages

Aaron Rodgers Replacement No. 2: Carson Wentz

As sad as it is, we know exactly how a Carson Wentz acquisition for the Jets will play out.

The once highly heralded Eagles star has fallen from grace three times: once at the end of his Philly tenure, once in Indy, and once in Washington. He's been ridiculed, made fun of, scoffed at, dissed, and pushed to the margins of the league enough times in his career for him to call it quits and pursue a different hobby.

But Wentz keeps actively trying to get back in the league, no matter how much of his dignity he has to strip away. This offseason, he posted a picture of himself wearing training gear from his last three teams. Kooky, desperate, but at least it shows his willingness to compete? After Rodgers' brutal injury, maybe the Jets begrudgingly give Wentz a call, and the journeyman adds a Jets jersey to his team collection.

At age 31, Wentz is the youngest candidate on this list. He's only two years removed from his Colts' season, which may have ended in utter disaster but truth be told wasn't a wholly disaster. Wentz threw 27 touchdowns against just seven interceptions in all 17 starts, helping the Colts trudge to a 9-8 record. He was arguably the reason the Colts missed the playoffs that year, yet then again, his quarterback play in the regular season got Indy in that position in the first place. As everyone knows, Wentz is a mixed bag.

The one-time Pro Bowler also has a connection to Joe Douglas from their Eagles days and would undoubtedly serve as an upgrade to Zach Wilson.

And one last thing: We as humans keep believing because of a thing called hope. As long as that fact of life exists, Wentz will remain a viable free agent quarterback. To be let down time and time again and still believe -- that's a Jets fan's lifelong vicious cycle in a nutshell. What better player than Wentz to join that cycle?

For his final disappearing act, Wentz, a quarterback associated with crushed dreams like no other, can be the hero for the Jets. Or at least one can hope.