BREAKING: Woody Johnson names 4 potential Aaron Rodgers replacements to clean up Jets’ mess as Sam Darnold top list

BREAKING: Woody Johnson names 4 potential Aaron Rodgers replacements to clean up Jets’ mess as Sam Darnold top list

The odds that the New York Jets ask starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers back for 2025 appear slim at best.

With the 41-year-old Rodgers having yet even commit to playing a 21st NFL season, it’s only right to start seriously exploring options at quarterback.

Drafting the next franchise field general is certainly an option, but there are two issues for the Jets along those lines this year. First, the quarterback draft class isn’t headlined by generational talents, and the top-two prospects will likely be unavailable by the time New York picks at No. 7 overall.

Then, should the Jets trade up and select Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward, it probably wouldn’t be in the franchise’s best interest to immediately throw the youngster into the fire. The team must go into the 2025 campaign with a QB1 who is not a rookie.

Here are four options who can help New York solve the QB situation for what is expected to be a rebuilding year that welcomes a new general manager and head coach.

Justin Fields, Steelers
After the Chicago Bears cut bait on the first-round quarterback, Fields landed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a Day 3 draft pick. He started the first six games of the season with Russell Wilson sideline due to a calf injury.

Fields, a two-time Big Ten Conference Offensive Player of the Year, completed 65.8 percent of his passes this season, including five touchdowns and one interception. The dual threat also ran for five TDs. With his rookie contract expired, Fields will be an unrestricted free agent.

Tyrod Taylor, Jets
Even at 35 years old, Taylor seems like the perfect “bridge” option to warm the seat for the future franchise field general. In fact, he did just that for the Buffalo Bills in 2017. Taylor led the Bills to the playoffs in head coach Sean McDermott’s first season at the helm. Should New York opt to wait until the 2026 draft to find their franchise QB, a player of Taylor’s experience and professionalism would serve organization well in a 2025 “transition” year.

Taylor, who signed a two-year contract with the Jets prior to the 2024 season, was well received by the Jets’ locker room by multiple accounts. As a starter, the 14-year veteran owns a 28-28-1 record. He has 68 career touchdown passes to 29 interceptions.

Tyrod Taylor vs. Washington
Sam Darnold, Vikings
It may be a long shot, but the Jets’ former first-round selection will be a free agent coming off a renaissance season with the Minnesota Vikings. Darnold’s familiarity with New York definitely makes him more attractive than the other underwhelming free agents set to hit the market.

Darnold, however, has played so well that the Vikings may consider making him their long-term starter even when 2024 first-rounder JJ McCarthy returns from his knee injury. It’s hard to imagine the Vikings discarding Darnold after 14 wins and 35 touchdowns passes in 2024.

Jordan Travis, Jets
The Jets took a fifth-round flier on the former Florida State star in 2024, but he needed the entire year to recover from a gruesome leg injury that ended his collegiate career in November 2023. Travis, the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, is a bit undersized but was a proven winner in college.

Although he may develop into a capable NFL starter, it probably isn’t the best idea to let Travis take his first pro snaps as QB1 in 2025