Jets Would Need to Add Contingency If Trading 2024 1st-Round NFL Draft Pick for QB

Jets Would Need to Add Contingency If Trading 2024 1st-Round NFL Draft Pick for QB

East Rutherford, NJ - September 24: New England Patriots LB Matthew Judon sacks New York Jets QB Zach Wilson in the end zone for a safety. The Patriots beat the Jets, 15-10. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

The idea of the New York Jets acquiring a new quarterback this season has been thrown around quite a bit but the logistics of doing so are not so simple.

The thought of New York dealing their 2024 first-round pick for a quarterback like Kirk Cousins or Jameis Winston has been floated, but as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reported, that possibility is not so simple.

“If the Jets want to trade their 2024 first-round pick for a quarterback before the Oct. 31 trading deadline — which seems unlikely at this point — they would have to include a contingency in any trade because they don’t have full control of the pick, according to the NFL,” Cimini wrote.

The Jets originally moved the pick in the offseason trade to acquire quarterback Aaron Rodgers. However, the pick was conditional based on Rodgers playing 65 percent of the Jets snaps in 2024, and if he didn’t it would revert to a second-round pick.

Rodgers went down four plays into his Jets tenure with a torn Achilles, which changed the team’s outlook on the position and created the possibility of adding another quarterback. Still, Cimini reported that even though the first-round pick is likely to be returned, the league requires alternate compensation until the pick officially reverts back.

“To trade the pick, they’d have to agree to alternative compensation — i.e., their 2025 first-rounder or a combination of other picks until their 2024 first-rounder becomes free in the offseason,” Cimini wrote. “Or they could try to get the Packers to rework the trade language now that Rodgers is finished for the season.”

While this seems like it could be worked out to make sure a trade goes through, it does further complicate the situation. However, the Jets definitely need to figure something out at the position.

The team entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations and, despite Rodgers injury, still have a roster full of talented players. The blame for the 1-2 spot can be pointed at quarterback play, as 2021 No. 2 pick Zach Wilson has shown little improvement or ability to lead the team to victory.

Wilson has thrown for 467 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions thus far in 2023 and the Jets offense ranks last in the NFL in scoring.

Adding a player like Cousins, who has been statistically strong in 2023, or Winston, who has played 80 games as a starter and has 139 touchdowns, could help steer the ship in New York and make that contingency plan worth it.

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