The New York Jets' quarterback rotation appears far from being set as the team cannot escape getting linked to potential trade and draft rumors. As of now, the Jets have Geno Smith and Ryan Fitzpatrick as their two best options at the position, but many believe the rotation is still not completely settled. Most NFL mock drafts have the Jets selecting Marcus Mariota at No. 6, but according to owner Woody Johnson, Smith is a better quarterback than the former Oregon star.
While speaking to the media at the NFL Annual Meeting, Johnson said that he believes Smith is much more advanced than Mariota is as people continue to press the team about their potential interest in the reigning Heisman trophy winner. Johnson simply said that he is evaluating all options and simply has no idea who will start Week 1 for the team, just what every Jets fan wants to hear.
"I don't have any feeling about it whatsoever," Johnson said, via NFL.com. "We're in the process of going through all the candidates, looking at tape, interviews, doing our research. I don't know who it is at this point, whether it's Mariota or anybody else. It's always in relation to what? We haven't made that determination. Geno's probably way ahead of (Mariota) at this point, believe it or not -- whether you guys have skepticism of that or not."
The New York Daily News also believes the Jets are in the mix for a trade for either Drew Brees or Philip Rivers in the coming months. Saints general manager Mickey Loomis made it clear that New Orleans was not trading Brees just because they dealt away other big contracts. The San Diego Chargers downplayed the comments Rivers made about not signing a contract extension with the team. They made it clear the quarterback was going nowhere.
While those deals might still have a chance of panning out, the likelihood is very slim. That means the Jets will likely need to look to the draft for help at the position. At No.6, the team has a great shot of landing Mariota, but there is a chance that someone could trade up to at least the No. 2 spot for the quarterback as the Washington Redskins, Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles continue to show interest in the Oregon star. If the Jets feel he is the guy for the future, a trade up is worth it.
