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The Jets met with QB Russell Wilson on Monday about possibly coming in as Geno Smith’s backup.
Smith, with a career 42-56 record, has already been named the starter. There will be no competition.
According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, the Jets asked for Smith’s thoughts on a potential backup.
“Smith advocated for Wilson when team officials solicited his input on potential backups, the source said,” Cimini wrote.
I’ve never believed that players should be involved in roster decisions, especially those related to their own room.
If you are QB Bailey Zappe, how would you feel about Smith suggesting that somebody other than you should be the #2?
I’m not making Zappe into Tom Brady. That’s not the point. Just saying that he’s got nine career starts (4-5 record), and clearly has a great interest in that Jets #2 job.
How would you feel in any business if a co-worker suggested somebody else for a job when there are already candidates in the building?
To me, players play, coaches coach, and GMs pick the players.
Everyone needs to stay in their lane.
Not sure whose idea it was to ask Smith for his input, but I’d have a hard time believing that Darren Mougey’s former boss in Denver would ever ask a QB who they should go get to be his backup.
But while I don’t agree with that idea of consulting players on roster moves, I have no issue with the Jets being interested in Wilson.
And this takes me to another Wilson, Zach Wilson.
When the Jets acquired Aaron Rodgers in 2023, they had Zach Wilson in the building, a former #2 overall draft pick.
The idea was to take a step back with Zach Wilson, give him a redshirt year, to help him fix his mechanics and decision-making, sitting and learning behind Rodgers.
But when Rodgers hurt his Achilles in the opener, ending his season, they went back to Zach Wilson.
The plan to have Zach Wilson in the #2 spot, especially at the beginning of the season, made little sense.
If he needed time to fix his mechanics and progression, it wasn’t going to be fixed by September.
So if you were going to give him a redshirt year, you needed a veteran backup behind Rodgers, who would be one snap away, not Zach Wilson.
So clearly by reaching out to Geno Smith about who he wants as a veteran backup, they obviously don’t feel Zappe is the right guy, and if Zappe is not the right guy, the next option would be a 2025 fourth-round pick, Cade Klubnik.
And, he, like Zach Wilson in 2023, needs a redshirt year. He was a fourth-round pick for a reason, and the former five-star recruit for Clemson has a lot to work on, like going through progressions.
“When the first read isn’t there, his field vision is average,” wrote NFL Network draft analyst Lance Zierlein about Klubnik.
So he would be best-suited to be the #3 this year to hone his craft, so it’s smart to go out and get a veteran backup, and Russell Wilson could be perfect.
To get a backup with a ton of NFL starts and who knows what he’s going out there, is huge. Obviously, it would not be his first rodeo.
With 202 career starts (121-80-1 record), he would enter the game if Smith got hurt and not be overwhelmed.
So if Smith and the Jets brass decide to go with Russell Wilson as the team’s #2 QB in 2026, that doesn’t seem like the worst plan.
They need a seasoned veteran backup behind Smith.
April 29, 2026
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