Tyrod Taylor is now Jets QB1, who is QB future, and can the Jets just throw it to Mason Taylor?

Tyrod Taylor is now Jets QB1, who is QB future, and can the Jets just throw it to Mason Taylor?

[Music] Hello and welcome to another episode of Jets Mailbag. I’m your host Jana Kley and I am joined by my co-host for this and every episode, the one, the only and wise NFL insider, Connor Hughes. Connor, how you doing? I’m doing well, Jana. How are you? I’m doing great. You know, I’m bundled up, nice and warm talking little Jets football with you. What else can go wrong, right? There we go. All right, the Jets twoame winning streak was snapped with a 2714 loss on Thursday Night Football to the Patriots. So, let’s get right to the questions, Connor, because we’ve got a bunch. First one comes to Galleros. How do you see wide receiver 2 addressed this off season, draft or trade? We get this one a lot. Draft or trade? I I think free agency could be an option as well. Trade, you always see guys that that are out there that are available. And I I know that the the draft route is going to be so intriguing because the players that are out there that the Jets could go up there, the the the mass amount of capital that the Jets have to either draft somebody organically or trade up to go get someone. J. But in my opinion, when it seems very very clear that the Jets are going to be drafting their quarterback of the future, their presumed franchise passer, I prefer the idea of going out there and getting a savvy veteran to pair with Garrett Wilson uh to to kind of complete this receiving group. You know, I want somebody that’s going to be out there and eliminate a variable for my young quarterback because when you have rookies, they’re going to make rookie mistakes. And yeah, there are situations where the young quarterback and the young receiver can grow and evolve and develop together. But for me, it’s all about the quarterback. It’s all about getting the quarterback to a point where he can be somebody that leads the Jets to the playoffs in perennial contention. Giving him a veteran, a savvy person that is going to be running his route. If it’s supposed to be running in at at seven and 3/4 yards, he’s not running it at seven and a half. He’s not running at eight and eight yards. He’s running it at the exact metric that he should be cutting in at is exactly what he’s going to do. It doesn’t have to be the most explosive player. It doesn’t have to be the fastest player, just the most savvy veteran that you can put out there opposite Garrett Wilson. So, you give your young quarterback a a somebody who’s going to be exactly where he’s supposed to be when he’s supposed to be there with the elusive game-breaking ability of Garrett Wilson than Mason Taylor as your tight end. I think that truly does round out and complete the receiving unit more so than a rookie. Again, a rookie might have more upside than somebody the Jets go out there and get the veteran, but I just want to take that uncertainty out of the equation and get the savvy guy. Well, you mentioned Mason Taylor, and this next question I have I would ask it too. Um, this comes from Miz09. I don’t get why throwing to Mason Taylor has to be the third read big target. Just get him a quick pass every once in a while. Yeah. Yeah. I I agree with you. Like I agree with the question. The problem, and this is what’s going to change now with Tyrod Taylor out there, is that being the second option or or the second read is not a bad thing. Being the third read is not a bad thing. Because in the NFL, a lot of times those reads, while on the play, they might be the third read based off of what the coverage dictates changes who the actual read is. You have man beaters and zone beaters. And if the defense comes out in zone, well then you go to your zone beater. If they come out man, you go to your man beater. So Taylor might at the snap, okay, this is my read. But the reads change based off of the look that the defense gives you before the snap and then the look that the defense gives you after the snap. The problem that the Jets had with Justin Fields is that that ability to read a defense and dissect the defense and adjust to what the defense was giving you, it didn’t exist. He couldn’t process pre- snap and certainly couldn’t process postnap. So if his first read was not there, it was a checkdown or a run. So, he didn’t have the ability to go one, two, three or one 3-2 or check down a run or just change the way that you’re playing the game based off of what the defense shows you. The thought process now with Tyrod Taylor is that that will happen. And Tyrod Taylor is not this team’s long-term answer at quarterback. Justin Fields is not this team’s long-term answer at quarterback. But with Tyrod Taylor out there, you can now evaluate everybody else on the offense like Mason Taylor, like AD Mitchell, like Mechi, and so many other players because you’re not having such a negative at the quarterback position like you were having with Justin Fields. All right, this next question comes from Fish Paul Tony Teriffs. Why change quarterback now when we should have done it last week at halftime? May as well tank and get the number one pick. Now, let me just before you answer this, I hate when people say just tank. You still got players out there that are playing for their careers and they’re this is their job. Players aren’t just gonna take to get the number one pick. I’m done. I’m off my soap box. Your turn. Correct. I mean, the the most that you can do is sort of what the Jets did by moving. I again, they didn’t go full in, but it would have been like if they traded Quinnon and traded Sauce and then traded Germaine and Bree for whatever they could get and just fielded a team basically that was incapable of winning. can do that. But even then, in the NFL, these players are still so talented that they’re going to steal a game or two. It is so rare. It’s why it’s only happened once, what in the last like 30 years or something like that, plus that a team’s gone 0 and 17 or worse. I mean, it just doesn’t happen because of the talent that’s on the field. But, uh, I you you can make the argument that they should have gone to Tyrod Taylor a week ago at half. Honestly, Jana, if it hadn’t been for Taylor taking the helmet to the knee when he replaced Justin Fields against the Panthers, the Jets are going to start Tyrod Taylor. that that that’s what they were going to do. They were readying to make the switch. And it wasn’t until Tyrod Taylor showed up and was like, “Hey guys, I I might not be able to go. This thing’s kind of an issue right now.” That’s when the Jets were like, “Wait, wait. We’re not making our quarterback decision. Okay, yeah, we’re actually going to stick here with Justin Fields.” And then Fields beat the Bengals, beat the Browns. So, at that point, they weren’t going to make a change until there was obviously a hiccup. The hiccup came against the Patriots, and that’s why they go to Tyrod Taylor. Should they have gone to him at halftime? Sure, I can absolutely see that. But I genuinely believe Jana that Justin Fields, while not good against the Patriots, was not the Jets’s biggest issue. He didn’t lose them that game. There were plays that receivers dropped that they should have caught. There weren’t perfect passes, but passes that were good enough. Fields was doing enough to keep the Jets in that game until they fell behind by two possessions, had to throw the ball, and then you saw his abnormalities in ability to play quarterback. So, uh, yeah, you could go to him at half, but honestly, I didn’t think t I didn’t think Fields was the biggest issue. Now, it’s just about moving forward, about evaluating everyone outside the quarterback. So, go to the quarterback that you’re gonna or that’s going to give you the best chance to evaluate tight ends and receivers, and that’s Taylor. All right, Connor, you ready for a twofer one? Sure. Yeah, let’s do it. We got We We got a twofer. Um, all right. This one is from Malcolm Daniels. How much is riding on AG and Muji to hit on the next QB considering that Fields hasn’t worked out? Will they lean more towards a vet or rookie to keep their jobs? The next one from Lucas. He says, “Do you believe Muji and Glenn have enough trust from the ownership to postpone choosing a quarterback and go through another season with at most four wins in 2026?” That would be such a bad move. Like I we we’ve talked about this a lot because I I’ve seen it out there on on Jets Twitter and Instagram and all those places where fans are are pushing towards the well just wait for 2027. just wait for 2027. The quarterback class in 2027 is so much better. That’s what it’s viewed to be right now in 2025. Do you realize how often quarterbacking analysis, quarterbacking scouting reports, quarterbacking evaluations change? Like like do you remember when Matt Barkley was going to be a top five pick? Do you remember when Drew Lar was going to be a first round pick and challenge for the number one overall pick if he had come out this year? Like that just changes and adjusts. guys aren’t. It’s so hard to predict and evaluate that position that things so often just change in real time where yeah, right now the quarterback class looks like it’s unbelievable next year. What happens if Moore takes a step back? What if Arch doesn’t take the step forward that some people believe? Like there’s so many things that can happen that can change how the quarterbacking class works now. Also, what happens? Because again, the Jets aren’t just going to sit on their hands this offseason. They’re still going to have their their crap their crop of draft picks that they’re going to make this year and free agent signings and all that stuff to make this team better. Say they get to a point where they win six or seven games next season and they still need their future quarterbacks. They get to the point where they win six or seven games next year and they’re picking six overall. What happens if, like what happened a year ago, the quarterbacks picking number one, number two, or the teams picking number one, number two, and number three are hellbent in needing their quarterback and not willing to move. Because that’s what happened when the Bears went Caleb Williams, the Commanders went Jaden Daniels, uh, and then number three, the Patriots went Drake May. That’s exactly what happened. The Giants were sitting there wanting to do everything they possibly could to go up and get a quarterback, Drake May or Jaden Daniels. Those were the two guys that the Giants wanted. They couldn’t be. The Commanders said, “Absolutely not. We’re not trading the pick.” And and the Patriots said, “Absolutely not. We’re not trading the picks.” There was nothing that the Giants could do to go up and get their guys. They had to wait until next year. That’s what they had to do. The Jets pushing it forward to 2027. It’s a gamble. It is such a huge gamble that I don’t think is worth it. And yeah, right now they have the the backing from ownership that they’re going to be patient. You guys have the ability to build this thing the right way. Guess what? That’s what the Jets also told John Edi and that’s also what the Jets told Joe Douglas and Robert Salah eventually patience wears thin and you say I want the win. So Woody Johnson is all on board right now with losing is okay. We’re doing this the right way but continuing to lose this year and then getting your teeth kicked in next year. You’re going to be going into year three and he’s going to expect wins and legitimate turnaround even if it’s a rookie quarterback. So I just think there’s so many risks to that that this is the year the Jets need to go out there and get their quarterback assuming they evaluate somebody and believe that guy is the guy. I I just I don’t see how you can push that one to next year. I don’t I I I don’t see that happening. And as for like the first part of that question, which is like, you know, how how big is it? Like, yeah, the Darren Muji and Aaron Glenn are going to keep their jobs or get fired based on whether or not they get the quarterback, period. That’s that was going to happen. Joe Douglas and Robert Solid, too. They just were able to get Aaron Rogers in here. So, that was kind of the the random curveball on why they kept their jobs. But, you either keep your job or lose your job if you can or can’t get the quarterback. They’re 0 for one right now. they’re going to have a chance to draft one, but if they whiff on that too, they won’t get a third strike. 100%. All right, this comes from Rick. Um, what do the Jets need to do to make sure that when they do get a quarterback either this year or next, they have the structure in place for that quarterback to succeed. Okay. So, now we’re getting a quarterback. Yeah, that’s I agree. That’s the thing, Jana. And and and we’ve talked about it on this show. We’ve talked about it on Final Drive. I I I kind of I again, you guys know me. I I have no problem criticizing and ripping this team, but I I genuinely believe that of the teams that are going to be picking top three or five in the NFL draft in a couple of months, few months, I don’t know if there’s a better team than the Jets when you talk about a place that a young quarterback is going to be put into to have success. I don’t I I I don’t think there’s a better one out there. I mean, they have the infrastructure of an offensive line. At least at the minimum you can say Joe Titman, Olu Fashion, and Armanu. Those are main stays that you believe are going to be a part of this offensive line for the next 10 years. Especially with your tackles, maybe not with Titman, but at least with the tackles, you know, you have your bookends for the next 10 years. And all you got to figure out is the guard positions. That’s not that hard. You can draft a guard in the second round. You can find those guys in free agency to have a really effective, good offensive line. So, I I think the Jets offensive line is set. The running back, you can transition tag Bree Hall. You can franchise tag Brie Hall. You can use a three-year contract extension on Bree Hall. Even if you don’t, you still have Brillin Allen, Isaiah Davis. That’s a good backfield. That’s a good backfield receiver. They absolutely need a number two receiver. They absolutely need a number three receiver. I think you can make that comment that aside from Garrett Wilson, they don’t have much else. But you have the draft picks and the free agent dollars to go get those receivers. And the tight end room looks pretty damn good with Mason Taylor and Jeremy Rucker who’s really come on this season as a legitimate number two option at tight end. So I I you add in Tanner Angstrand as well who showed pretty good promise and seems like he’s a legitimate branch off of the Ben Johnson Dan Campbell coaching tree and I genuinely do not believe there’s a better spot than the Jets right now for a team picking top five to throw a young quarterback into. I I genuinely believe that infrastructure is there for that player to have very early success and cultivate and truly help him develop and grow grow to what he can be. All right. Oh, this kind of leads into this next question from Weekend Mustache, and I’m nominating you for this person. Um, can anyone on the beat ask Aaron Glenn if he plans on bringing in someone who’s had success with developing quarterbacks or will he will roll with worldrenowned quarterbacks coach Charles London? Yeah, I I I would be surprised. This is this is Aaron Glenn staff. I I think that would be a slap in the face to the guys who have been here throughout this year. be a slap in the face to Tanner Eng. It would honestly be sort of in line with when the Jets decided to bring in Zack Wilson’s personal quarterback coach and everybody around the league was like, “What the heck are you doing?” Like, “What the heck are you doing?” So, no. And and honestly, guys, if there was a world-renowned quarterback whisperer who was going to develop everybody in the world, that guy is probably an offensive coordinator or he’s on somebody’s staff or he’s a head coach. Like, like those guys don’t really exist out there and on the unemployment line. You know what I like that that’s not that’s not a thing. It’s not like Callahan whom the Titans let go, the brilliant offensive line coach. It’s not like that for quarterbacks is just sitting out there saying, “Hey, does anyone want me?” Like quarterback’s most important position in sports, period. And if there was somebody that could whisper like that, there would be 32 teams fighting with with with guns and knives and everything else to get him on their staff. Like, people would die to have that guy on their staff. Uh so, no, I I don’t think so. I mean, look, the the Jets hired Tanner Angstrand and brought in all these guys because they believe that’s the offensive staff they need to cultivate and build a winner. So, I I see them rolling through with it 100%. 100%. I agree. All right. This is from Freddy. Do you think there are any plans to package some of those picks we got to either move up in the draft or trade for someone? I 100%. They Yeah, I mean, move up in the draft is the big one. Absolutely. And and that’s because again, you can see some games towards the end of the schedule where the Jets are going to play the the Jaguars, where the Jets are going to play the Dolphins, where the Jets are going to play the Falcons potentially now or with now without um Michael Penn, they’re going to be playing Kurt Cousins. I mean, there’s opportunities there on the Jet schedule to get some more wins. And if they get a handful more wins, you could see them picking six or seven. And if they fall in love with a quarterback and the team that’s picking number two or number one already has their quarterback like say the Giants. The Giants are are a terrible football team right now seemingly steamrolling towards the number one overall pick in the draft or number two overall pick in the draft. They already have Jackson Dart. So, if the Jets are picking six and can make a truly compelling offer to the Giants of a couple first round picks and then something else to give New York, have them just move back a couple places, still get a corner that they need or another receiver, some help on the offensive line, still get that for the Giants while the Jets then go up and get their quarterback. Absolutely. I think that’s what they do. I mean, what the Jets did in moving Sauce Gardner and Quinn Williams, I don’t think they did that with the goal of, oh, let’s use all these picks to round out our roster. No, they they wanted the ammunition to be able to go up and get the quarterback that they want. If they can’t take that quarterback organically, in a perfect world, they do draft them organically. They’re picking two or three. Their guys there, they take them. They say, “We’re good.” And then they can use the rest of their picks to to truly infuse this roster with gamechanging talent. But, uh, quarterback is the top priority for the Jets. They know that. They’ll admit that to anyone who talks to them. The goal is getting that quarterback and doing whatever you can to get that quarterback. And that includes trading some of the picks that they got for Quinn and Sauce. All right. old Dave Pretty much wants to know the question. I think the only QB question is Mendoza, Moore, or Simpson. Yeah, I I I’ll be honest. That’s a Connor Rogers question more than anything else. I was listening actually him. I I don’t think from what I’ve heard, Moore is going back to school. Like again, that’s not like super firm per sources, but a lot of people around the NFL assume that Moore is going back. And the NIL is changing things now, Jana. I mean, Scott knows this from from coaching he’s dealing with like the money that you can pay these kids going to the NFL isn’t a necessity. You don’t have to run over to the NFL to get your your signing bonus and all that stuff than you are in the NFL 100%. Yeah, you’re making millions. I mean, you you are literally making multi multiple millions of dollars to play college football now, especially if you’re a quarterback. So Moore can go back and and make $5 million next year and say, “Okay, I’ll wait one more year and I’ll develop a little bit more, get some more snaps, and hopefully when I get to the NFL, I can have a season like Jaden Daniels did or like Bo Nicks did where all of that wealth of information and wealth of experience they had in college benefited them simply because they’ve played so much more football than some of these other guys who didn’t necessarily get those snaps and reps under their belt. So, um, I I think Mendoza and Simpson, those are the two that are going to be there. One, two, two, one. The one thing I don’t love about Mendoza Jana is that today’s quarterback can do everything. It’s they they are athletes. It’s very rare now that you just have a traditional pocket quarterback that doesn’t move like the Tom Bradys or the Pton Mannings or the Kirk Cousins. Like you kind of need somebody who’s an athlete who can make plays with his legs. I’m not saying Lamar Jackson, but can move around. And think about Drake May. What Drake May did when he was running around against the Jets. like he’s not looking to run, but he can run when he needs to run. That’s how you open up offenses. I don’t see that from Mendoza. Just think he’s going to be like a top five quarterback. I don’t necessarily feel that way. But again, there’s a lot of college football left. You’re going to have the playoffs. He goes on a run there and the entire evaluation of him is going to change. And then Simpson, I’ve watched a little bit of them, but I’ll be honest with you, like we are so knee deep and neck deep at the moment in the NFL season and dealing with the consistent, like you guys know, I cover Giants and Jets and the Giants right now between Firing Dable, Bowen being on the hot seat, Abdul Carter sleeping through meetings, all of this crap. Like there’s so much going on over there. I haven’t even had a time to break down college film at the moment. But I I would think that Simpson’s a slightly better overall prospect than Mendoza, but there’s so much football left to be played at the moment where you can’t say one or the other, one or the other. But Mendoza’s lack of athleticism does make me a little nervous. All right. Now, Connor, I didn’t I don’t have like a question from someone that surprised you this week because this guy this guy like this I like King Sunny 212 question that it’s off the beaten path. You know what I’m saying? When are you rewatching The Sopranos? I don’t probably not for a while. I I like The Sopranos like Yeah, I I don’t think it’s gonna be I think it’s going to be a while. Like I I went I just finished it like a couple months ago and there’s some things like Stranger Things is coming back here in a couple months or a couple weeks I should say. Like I I can’t wait to watch that. Like Stranger Things I got to go into. I actually want to do a Breaking Bad rewatch before I do a uh um a um Sopranos rewatch. Yeah. Big reason for that is actually Bri and I when she was pregnant with Brooke, we were looking at like we were watching the we were watching the Breaking Bad together and then we had Brooke and just never went back to it because of how crazy it’s been. So, uh I I am I’m kind of looking forward to getting back into that with her. Um also doing, like I said, I really want to get I can’t wait for Stranger Things. And then also we’re gonna have House of the Dragon coming back. So there’s some stuff that I watch in general that that’s kind of rolling at the moment that I uh I don’t know when I’m going to get back to The Sopranos. I also want to watch like The Wire and and things like that. So there’s other shows that I got to watch. Entourage. I never saw Entourage either. Wait, so if you had to rewatch a series, which one is it? Is it Breaking Bad? That’s the one that you would rewatch over and over again? Uh not over and over again. I’m not a big rewatcher. Like I at in general, Jana, I’m I’m I’m when it comes to television and movies, I’m like I watch it once and then I’m good. Sometimes like the Marvel movies, I’ll go back and watch if they’re on, but like even now like I won’t like I’ll watch it sometimes if like the next one’s coming. Like I’ll watch the one to lead in just to remind myself, but I’m not a big rewatcher. But the thing with Breaking Bad is I haven’t watched that since it came out. Like and I was in in college like early like that was a long time ago. So I haven’t rewatched that and Bri never saw it. So, like watching it with her for the first time and me re-watching it, you kind of realize how how incredible that series was. So, I do want to do that just because the things I forget. All right. The things I learned about you, Connor, you’re not a rewatcher. Okay, it’s fair. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Not a rewatcher. All right. On that note, thank you so much for watching this edition of Jets Mailbag. Like we said before, we will be with you every week of the Jets 2025 season to answer your questions. Submit your questions for next week’s episode on my Connors or SNY’s Twitter account or drop them in the YouTube comments below this episode. Talk to you next week.

On Jets Mailbag, SNY NFL Insider Connor Hughes and Jets reporter Jeane Coakley answer questions from fans about drafting a franchise quarterback, how much rope GM Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn actually have, and what the team will do with extra draft capital.

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