Now that Aaron Rodgers is gone, all the rage in Northern New Jersey is about the signal-caller. (Oh, and that includes the other team, the New York Giants, as well.)
The New York Jets are indeed in the market for a quarterback, and speculation about how head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey will approach that challenge remains fast and loose.
One of the more exciting options involves moving up in the 2025 NFL draft to target Miami’s Cam Ward or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. Interestingly, one former NFL general manager—a man who spent 16 years with the Jets—believes it’s something on the table.
At the very least, Mike Tannenbaum “wouldn’t be surprised” to see the Jets trade up for a quarterback, per “The Jake Asman Show.”
“I think they’ll do what they think is the right long-term move,” Tannenbaum told Asman on Thursday while at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. “If we sat here, and they traded up, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
Tannenbaum arrived in New York back in 1997 when Bill Parcells showed Leon Hess how to build a football program. Initially working as the director of player contracts until 2000, Mikey T (as he’s affectionately known) was promoted to director of pro personnel in 2000, only to then be lifted to assistant general manager in 2001 under then-general manager Terry Bradway (who took the helm in 2001, replacing Parcells).
Ultimately, the Jets hired Tannenbaum as their general manager in 2007 when Woody Johnson snagged Eric Mangini away from Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots. We all know what happened from there, as the Tannenbaum-Mangini duo turned out to be a spectacular one via talent evaluation.
These days, Tannenbaum is an ESPN analyst, yet he’s also freshly off the job as a Jets third-party consultant head responsible for helping the Jets find the new regime—the current regime in Glenn and Mougey.
The regime’s first major move sent shockwaves throughout the NFL when Jay Glazer reported they were “moving on” from Aaron Rodgers. With a monstrous hole at the quarterback position, multiple routes remain available to them.
The Jets could draft a quarterback in their current slot, No. 7 overall, where Ole Miss prospect Jaxson Dart is receiving some buzz (albeit too high for most fans’ and analysts’ liking). They could trade down from No. 7 and still snag Dart if they liked him that much.
Ward and Sanders are projected to be gone by the time the Jets are on the clock, which is why trading up for one of the two has gained some steam recently. Mikey T, being his usual flexible self, however, also stated that he could see them take a more conservative approach by signing a veteran quarterback this offseason.
“Likewise, if they signed a veteran quarterback, maybe they trade back in year one, and try to acquire as many picks as possible,” Tannenbaum added. “With seven teams making the playoffs, things change a lot every year.”
Some of the existing NFL quarterback names floating around the New York Jets atmosphere are Kirk Cousins, Sam Darnold (who remains a longshot to return), and Justin Fields. Technically, the Jets still have four quarterbacks on the roster, but only two of them are realistic in nature.
The two active quarterbacks are veteran Tyrod Taylor and second-year youngster Jordan Travis. Adrian Martinez is on a reserve/future contract, whereas Aaron Rodgers is expected to be a post-June 1 cut designation.
