The NY Jets are hosting free agent Stevan Ridley this week and there is a chance they could sign him following his visit with the Miami Dolphins and this comes as the team could consider making a trade with the San Diego Chargers for Philip Rivers, Matt Forte with the Bears or wait to target Marcus Mariota in the NFL draft at the end of April.
The Jets have made some major moves this offseason and now Todd Bowles and Mike Maccagnan could continue that leading up to the draft. According to Rich Cimini at ESPN.com, the Jets are very interested in Marcus Mariota and they also could consider making trades for Philip Rivers, Kirk Cousins or Mike Glennon before next season starts. The team has Geno Smith and Ryan Fitzpatrick on the roster, but the new regime did not draft Smith and could move on from him, while Fitzpatrick is injured and will miss the spring.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Ridley is visiting the Jets this week and it comes after the free agent running back also met with the Miami Dolphins. Ridley is relatively young at 26, but he is coming off of an ACL injury and played in just six games last season. The Jets know Ridley well from his time with the Patriots and he could be a solid depth option with Chris Johnson now gone.
After the injury Ridley likely would be a low cost option and he could have a high upside for the Jets. Ridley is not much of a pass catcher, but he had 340 yards last season in six games and in 2012 he had his best season with 1263 yards and 12 touchdowns. If Ridley can stay healthy, he could be a solid option at running back to help move the chains. Matt Forte has come up in trade rumors with the Bears, but after trading for Brandon Marshall, the Jets likely will not go down that road.
While that doesn't mean the team will make a major move to get a quarterback, it puts the Jets in the mix as one of the teams that could go for Mariota. Cimini writes that the team held a private workout with Mariota and that a number of decision makers were present for the meeting. Maccagnan has said that he puts a strong focus on the draft and the team may not want to trade away a number of picks to move up for Mariota. The team has a major decision to make here, as the regime could go all-in on Mariota or Rivers, but the regime will likely get judged solely based on that move.
Bowles and Maccagnan have been deliberate about their moves this offseason and the Jets have brought in Brandon Marshall in a trade and signed back Darrelle Revis to a record deal. The team appears to have the support of the fans back after John Idzik was fired and many are excited about the season and the prospect of getting a QB like Mariota. Many draft experts speculate that the Titans will either take Mariota or trade the pick and that could put pressure on the Jets to make a move.