The New York Jets, after starting the season 0-13, have now logged surprising back-to-back wins. While every team wants to win and fans (usually) want to see their favorite team win, the latter is certainly not the case recently. Trevor Lawrence, the quarterback for Clemson and the stand-alone number one pick in the upcoming draft, was the reason for that. Now, that’s over.
While winless, the Jets were in line to have that coveted number one pick and the rights to draft Lawrence. Head coach Adam Gase was taking a lot of heat for “ruining” the team but was also being somewhat applauded by fans for the chance at Lawrence. However, a surprising 23-20 win last week against the Los Angeles Rams and a 23-16 win today against the Cleveland Browns have locked the Jets in at pick two and lost out on the QB.
Now that the Jacksonville Jaguars will likely have Trevor Lawrence next season, the question looms: What are the New York Jets going to do at quarterback?
What’s next?
After what has occurred on the field the past two weeks, the Jets have a number of options for how to proceed at the quarterback position next season. There seems to be a consensus, however, that the team will do one of the following three things:
- Keep Sam Darnold
- Draft Ohio State QB Justin Fields
- Draft BYU QB Zach Wilson
Justin Fields has been the only other quarterback that has been mentioned in the same breath as Trevor Lawrence all season. Through two seasons with Ohio State, he has totaled 4,794 passing yards, 56 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, all with a completion percentage of 69.9%. Being a true dual-threat quarterback, he has also accumulated 758 rushing yards with 15 more touchdowns.
Although Fields has been very good at the collegiate level, it doesn’t appear to be enough for the Jets to take him at two, at least at the moment. Instead, as of recently, they have been spoken about with BYU quarterback Zach Wilson.
Wilson has jumped onto the scene this season, ranking in the top-three in college in both passing yards and touchdowns. Overall, he has totaled 3,692 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions, along with a completion percentage of 73.5%. Also, while he may not be as dynamic on the ground as Justin Fields, he can still make things happen. On the ground, he has 254 yards and 10 touchdowns this season.
If Wilson or Fields is the choice and starts for Gang Green next season, it’ll be interesting to see what happens with Sam Darnold. He would probably be dealt somewhere else if that’s the case. If not, he will be the starting quarterback for a fourth season.
Based on the last two games, how the season appears to be ending and the fact that they will not have Trevor Lawrence, I believe the Jets will stick with Darnold. He is still very young at 23 and still has tremendous potential. The Jets could potentially package the number two pick for more, as well. With more picks and some young players on offense, the team could continue to build around Darnold.
Whatever happens in the near future, the New York Jets will not be welcoming Trevor Lawrence to the team. While some fans are angry at that fact, they should remember that all hope is not lost…yet.