Is the former New York Jets general manager being serious?
I’m not sure if he’s just fishing for reactions – if so, congratulations, mission accomplished – but this take by former New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum is about as outrageous as it gets.
On ESPN’s “Get Up”, Tannenbaum suggested the Jets should pursue Russell Wilson to back up 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
We can’t catch a break these days when it comes to outlandish Jets-related rumors. A couple of days ago, I had to shoot down the Jamal Adams stuff. Now this? Sheesh. Can September please get here already?
Tannenbaum’s suggestion would be ill-advised for numerous reasons. The off-field impact is easily the most crucial factor. Bringing Wilson to New York would double the amount of unwanted media attention surrounding a team that is already dealing with way too much of it. With two of the most high-profile veteran quarterbacks in the sport, the Jets would become a complete circus.
Aaron Rodgers said after the season, “The bulls— that has nothing to do with winning needs to get out of the building.” If the Jets are serious about chasing a title in 2024, the off-field hoopla around the team needs to be quelled compared to where it was in 2023. The drama that would accompany Wilson simply isn’t worth it for a backup quarterback.
Sauce Gardner echoed Rodgers’ sentiments, admitting the Jets need to be less boisterous in 2024.
“We gotta stay humble. We gotta stay down. All the extra social media stuff, we gotta leave that in 2023. … We gotta be some silent assassins. We gotta be those underdogs, the guys that come out of nowhere. We ain’t going to be doing too much talking this year.”
So, Wilson is bad enough of a fit when it comes to his off-field impact. But he’s also a terrible fit on the field.
Wilson played for Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett in 2022 and had by far the worst season of his career, posting career lows in nearly every major category. Wilson was significantly better in 2023 under Sean Payton, which is saying a lot considering he was still underwhelming and has the Broncos desperate to get rid of him.
When he played under Hackett in 2022, Wilson was so brutal that he essentially looked like a clone of the Wilson that resided in Florham Park. Russell posted a QBR of 38.7, ranking 28th out of 33 qualified quarterbacks. The QB one spot behind him? That was Zach Wilson, who placed 29th with a nearly identical QBR of 38.5.
Russell also had the lowest success rate out of 33 qualifiers at 36.2%, per Pro Football Reference. Zach was two spots above him at 37.7%. In terms of EPA per dropback, Russell was 29th at -0.12 while Zach was 31st at -0.15, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
Russell Wilson might be the worst possible option for the Jets’ QB2 spot behind Aaron Rodgers. In this scheme, he’s the same caliber of player as Zach Wilson while being twice the distraction.
