What Can the Jets Do to Address Desperate Quarterback Situation This Offseason?

For the better part of four years, the New York Jets have been embroiled in controversy at quarterback. A hodgepodge of backups have been signed to "compete" with starters, even if those competitions spoiled the spirit of competition with predetermined outcomes.

With a new general manager in Mike Maccagnan, a new head coach in Todd Bowles and a new vision for the franchise, the Jets have an opportunity to create their own unique situation at quarterback and to alter the identity of the position that has been at the center of the circus in New York.

And they'll start that process from the ground up by evaluating Geno Smith.

"Right now, just watching film, he has a good arm, he's a good athlete, and he can throw the ball and make all the throws," Bowles said, via NewYorkJets.com. "Without seeing the intangibles and without being able to talk to him personally, you don't know what he knows, where his strengths are."

That evaluation, however, shouldn't take terribly long. Not much has changed about Smith since his rookie year. He's still prone to mistakes; still making fundamental errors in his footwork; still not going through his reads at a respectable speed.

The question isn't whether the Jets will bring in someone to push Smith, but who it will be.

Free Agency

Well, Jets fans, you can put the Peyton Manning pipe dream to bed. Now that the future Hall of Fame quarterback is officially returning to the Denver Broncos in 2015, it's time to start thinking about more realistic, and less talented, alternatives. 

The free-agent crop is not loaded with starting-caliber quarterbacks. Brian Hoyer (Cleveland Browns), Mark Sanchez (Philadelphia Eagles), Christian Ponder (Minnesota Vikings), Jake Locker (Tennessee Titans) and Matt Moore (Miami Dolphins) are the only available quarterbacks with significant, meaningful starting experience. 

Player	Age	2014 cap hit
Brian Hoyer	29	$1,250,000
Mark Sanchez	28	$2,250,000
Christian Ponder	27	$3,232,313
Jake Locker	26	$4,004,637
Matt Moore	30	$5,500,000

Of those quarterbacks, Hoyer is likely to be the most coveted because his flashes of brilliance have been brighter than the flashes of the other passers. In the first five games of the 2014 season, Hoyer completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 1,224 yards (8.2 yards per attempt), seven touchdowns, only one interception and a 99.5 passer rating.

The next five games were a step back; Hoyer completed 51.7 percent of his throws for 1,318 yards (7.5 YPA), four touchdowns, four interceptions and a 74.5 passer rating. His final four games were a disaster, as Hoyer hit only 54 percent of his passes for 784 yards (6.9 YPA) with one touchdown, eight picks and a 49.4 passer rating. 

Maybe a new setting is all Hoyer needs; the same could be said of any of the quarterbacks listed above. But the truth is, we won't know for sure until they put on a Jets uniform and start to get familiar with the system. And by then, it will be too late to do anything about it.

Draft

With the No. 6 pick in the NFL draft, the Jets have a rare opportunity to get one of the top quarterback prospects available—even if they won't admit it. 

"The sixth pick is a nice pick to be at," Maccagnan said, according to Andy Fenelon of NFL.com. "We're not going to lock ourselves into one (player) and say that's the one we have to get. I think that's an area where a lot of teams tend to be undisciplined at times. They make mistakes because they force picks."

Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston is considered a lock to be the No. 1 overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and is being projected in that spot by nearly every mock draft I could find: CBSSports.com, NFL.com, you name it. Even if the Buccaneers pass on Winston, another team could pounce into the top five to take him instead.

Thus, Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota has been the object of much of the speculation pertaining to the Jets taking a quarterback in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft. There are some questions as to whether he can translate from a quarterback-friendly, simplified offense with the Ducks to a more complicated offense geared toward beating more complicated defenses in the NFL. 

There's no question, though, that he has a highly moldable skill set, with the mobility that's been highly coveted at quarterback in recent years, along with arm strength to fit passes into tight windows. If the Jets can build their offense in a way that will highlight his strengths and mask his weaknesses, he would be worth their while as the No. 6 pick in the draft. 

Total Package

The Jets' best bet may be to draft a quarterback like Mariota or UCLA's Brett Hundley, and allow him to develop for a year behind either Geno Smith or Brian Hoyer (or whichever veteran they sign). 

In the end, that would help them cover their bases both for the short-term and the long-term. 

That's a lot of resources to invest in one position, but when that one position is as valuable as the quarterback position, it's impossible and unwise to sit idly by and hope for a miracle. Sometimes, you have to be the miracle.