On ESPN’s “Get Up,” Tannenbaum floated the idea of the Jets pursuing Russell Wilson as a backup for Aaron Rodgers.
Dan Graziano was incredulous over Mike Tannenbaum's suggestion that Russell Wilson could be backing up Aaron Rodgers on the New York Jets next season. That led to Bart Scott checking his coffee mug as well. pic.twitter.com/TOOPiqfjPk
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 19, 2024
It seems like there’s no shortage of wild Jets-related rumors these days. Just recently, I had to debunk the Jamal Adams speculation. And now this? Honestly, can September hurry up already?
Tannenbaum’s proposal raises several red flags. The most significant concern is the off-field impact it would have. Bringing Wilson to New York would only escalate the already excessive media attention surrounding the team. With two highly prominent veteran quarterbacks, the Jets would undoubtedly become a circus.
Following the season, Aaron Rodgers emphasized the need to eliminate distractions that have nothing to do with winning. If the Jets are serious about their title aspirations in 2024, they must minimize off-field drama compared to what they experienced in 2023. The potential chaos that would accompany Wilson’s arrival simply isn’t worth it for a backup quarterback.
Sauce Gardner echoed Rodgers’ sentiments, emphasizing the importance of humility and avoiding unnecessary social media chatter in the upcoming season.
So, Wilson’s off-field impact aside, he’s also not a great fit on the field.
In 2022, Wilson played under Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and had his worst season to date, registering career lows across major statistical categories. Although he showed improvement in 2023 under Sean Payton, the Denver Broncos are reportedly eager to part ways with him.
During his time with Hackett in 2022, Wilson’s performance was abysmal, resembling that of his counterpart in Florham Park. His QBR of 38.7 ranked 28th out of 33 qualified quarterbacks, just ahead of Zach Wilson, who placed 29th with a QBR of 38.5.
Additionally, Wilson posted the lowest success rate out of 33 qualifiers at 36.2%, according to Pro Football Reference, while Zach was slightly higher at 37.7%. In terms of EPA per dropback, Russell ranked 29th at -0.12, with Zach closely behind at 31st with -0.15, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
Considering these factors, Russell Wilson might be the least suitable option for the Jets’ QB2 spot behind Aaron Rodgers. In this scenario, he offers similar performance to Zach Wilson while bringing twice the distraction.
