Since 2010, the New York Jets have cycled through a long list of quarterbacks. Some of these guys gave fans hope, while most offered up unintentional nightmares.
Wildly, in true Jets fashion, many of these gunslingers offered both sides of the coin.
To qualify for this modern-day quarterback Mount Rushmore, a player must have started at least one game for the franchise since the start of the 2010 season (apologies to Christian Hackenberg).
Hey, let’s not pretend Jets history is jampacked with elite moments and legendary players. So, we may as well add to the fun with a brand-spanking-new “modern-day” list.
Without further ado, here are the four best and worst Jets quarterbacks since 2010…
Honorable mentions — The best
Before we get to the Mount Rushmore, a couple of quarterbacks who came close but just missed the cut.
Sam Darnold
- 13-25 REC, 59.8 CMP%, 78.6 RATE, 45 TD, 39 INT
Sam Darnold had his moments. Nobody who watched the Week 6 win over the Cowboys after his mono diagnosis (2019) will forget it.
After his rookie year, his overall numbers were atrocious, and the “I see ghosts” Monday Night Football game remains one of the most haunting moments in Jets history.
Trevor Siemian
- 2-2 REC, 56.0 CMP%, 61.5 RATE, 2 TD, 4 INT
I wanted to put him over a certain Pat McAfee guest — as he is the only Jets quarterback with a non-losing record since 2010 —but when I think of Trevor Siemian as a Jet, all I can remember is him coming in to play the Browns on Monday Night Football.
Of course, that was the infamous night when Myles Garrett did some unfortunate damage.
The best
Now, let’s get to the best Jets’ quarterbacks since 2010. Did anybody else shudder at the thought?
Mark Sanchez
- 33-29 REC, 55.1 CMP%, 71.7 RATE, 68 TD, 69 INT
Let’s be clear: Mark Sanchez was never a great quarterback; his career stats don’t move anybody. Yet, the story changes completely when the crunch time of the playoffs is considered.
Sanchez beat Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer, Philip Rivers, and even outplayed Tom Brady on the road. He finished 4-2 in the playoffs with a 94.3 passer rating, which ranks higher all-time than Manning and Brady.
He is one of the best playoff risers the sport has seen at that level, and for a Jets fan base starved of postseason success, those runs were everything.
Ryan Fitzpatrick
- 13-14 REC, 58.3 CMP%, 80.3 RATE, 43 TD, 32 INT
Ryan Fitzpatrick had by far the best single season of any Jets quarterback during this drought. In 2015, he went 10-6, throwing for 3,905 yards and a franchise record 31 touchdowns, finishing with an 88.0 passer rating — the best marks of any Jets QB in this era.
Fitzpatrick’s best moment came in Week 17, when he beat the New England Patriots in overtime. Then 2016 happened. The holdout, the regression, and one of the worst games in Jets history — 0 touchdowns to 6 interceptions against the Kansas City Chiefs in a 3-24 loss that set the franchise back considerably.
Even with the disastrous 2016 campaign, the 2015 saves him, and because the bar is so painfully low, he earns his spot.
Josh McCown
- 5-8 REC, 67.3 CMP%, 86.4 RATE, 18 TD, 9 INT
Simply put, Josh McCown kept the 2017 season alive. He kept that locker room together, mentored younger players, and gave the Jets an identity when they had none.
That matters.
The Jets had the sixth-youngest roster in the NFL in 2017. USA Today predicted they wouldn’t win a game that season, and McCown — armed with the likes of Robbie Chosen (formerly Robbie Anderson, and actually Robby Anderson before that), Jermaine Kearse, and Bilal Powell — made sure that never happened.
McCown’s final numbers look even better when you remember who was throwing them and who was catching them.
Aaron Rodgers
- 6-12 REC, 63.0 CMP%, 90.4 RATE, 28 TD, 11 INT
Statistically, Aaron Rodgers had no business being left off this list.
His 90.4 passer rating is the highest ever recorded by a Jets starting quarterback, and his 2024 campaign is arguably the second-best season by a Jets QB during this drought, behind only Fitzpatrick’s 2015 campaign. The numbers say he belongs here, so he is here.
Just don’t get too comfortable, Aaron; we’ll see you again shortly.
Honorable mentions — The worst
Before naming the Mount Rushmore of the worst, here are a few quarterbacks who nearly made the list…
Bryce Petty
- 1-6 REC, 53.1 CMP%, 57.7 RATE, 4 TD, 10 INT
In 2016, Bryce Petty threw 7 interceptions in just 133 passes with only 3 touchdowns, averaging just over 6 yards per attempt.
Petty was called upon after Fitzpatrick struggled early in the year and, unfortunately, was unable to improve the team’s quarterback play. Of the QBs who attempted at least 120 passes, Petty had the worst QB rating in the league.
Tim Boyle
- 0-2 REC, 62.3 CMP%, 56.2 RATE, 1 TD, 4 INT
Tim Boyle will forever be remembered for an infamous Hail Mary pick-6 on Thursday Night Football, watched by millions and immortalized on the internet. He might be the only man who could make Jets fans want Zach Wilson back on the field.
Luke Falk
- 0-2 REC, 64.4 CMP%, 62.4 RATE, 0 TD, 3 INT
Luke Falk was so bad that the Jets cut him mid-season after two starts, which is really saying something for a franchise that let Bryce Petty start seven games. Less than a month after being released, Falk filed an injury grievance against the Jets, becoming the second Jets player that season to file a grievance against the organization.
He got cut, then sued. The only thing less shocking than what transpired is how it flies under the radar these days — so easily forgotten.
The worst
Ok, let the real competition commence.
Zach Wilson
- 12-21 REC, 57.0 CMP%, 73.2 RATE, 23 TD, 25 INT
Do I even need to write anything? We all know he would be here. The second overall pick in 2021 finished his Jets career being considered one of the biggest busts in franchise history.
Of Zach Wilson’s 21 losses, 14 came by a single score. A better quarterback wins half of those games. Truly one of the worst uses of a number two pick in NFL history.
Brady Cook
- 0-4 REC, 57.5 CMP%, 55.4 RATE, 2 TD, 7 INT
The hours watching Brady Cook this season are hours none of us will ever get back. There was never a moment watching him where you thought the Jets could win.
The numbers tell the whole story: 0-4 record, 57.5% completion, 739 yards, 2 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, a 55.4 passer rating. He is incredibly forgettable, even if he is the most recent QB to play for this team.
I have more memories of Chris Streveler, Jamison Crowder, and Breece Hall throwing passes than I remember Brady Cook.
Geno Smith (first stint)
- 12-18 REC, 57.9 CMP%, 72.4 RATE, 28 TD, 36 INT
Not only were his numbers bad — 72.4 passer rating, 36 interceptions, and a 12-18 record across three seasons — but Geno Smith also got sucker punched in the locker room by a teammate, which broke his jaw and made the Jets the laughing stock of the league once again.
Aside from a perfect 158.3 passer rating against the Miami Dolphins in 2014, he never came close to what we needed him to be. After bouncing around the league as a backup for a few years, he landed with the Seattle Seahawks and won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.
If I had a nickel for every former Jets quarterback Seattle turned into a star, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice, right?
Aaron Rodgers
- 6-12 REC, 63 CMP%, 90.4 RATE, 28 TD, 11 INT
Yes, he is a better quarterback than the honorable mentions and the rest of the worst list, but A-Rod is here not only for his on-field play but for what he brought off the field.
Rodgers did not deliver on the promise that was attached to him. He forced the roster to his will, influenced personnel moves (i.e., the Davante Adams trade and Allen Lazard signing), and gifted Jets fans Nathaniel Hackett.
Rodgers then tore his Achilles tendon on the fourth play of his first game. Fine, not his fault. Then, he came back, and the Jets somehow won two fewer games than the year before with Zach Wilson as the starter.
Maybe in another timeline, Rodgers is a Jet legend, but this wasn’t that timeline.
Final thoughts
The Jets’ quarterback history since 2010 is a sad mix of momentary highs and long stretches of depressing lows. From the playoff magic of Sanchez to the brief trace of promise found in Fitzpatrick’s 2015 season, the franchise has seen flashes of competence but never lasting stability.
Until the Jets finally find their true franchise quarterback, this Mount Rushmore may remain one of the saddest in the NFL.
Nevertheless, it serves as a stark reminder that Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn must put an end to this vicious cycle before they could dare dream the greatest dream.
Hopefully, for the New York Jets and their fans, Geno Smith’s second stint, coupled with the hope of rookie Cade Klubnik, alters the frustrating narrative. Hopefully, at the very least, he can mirror Josh McCown’s pleasantly surprising 2017 campaign.
