The New York Jets’ plan to add competition at quarterback alongside Geno Smith remains mysterious.

With the opening of legal tampering two weeks behind us, multiple quarterbacks linked to the Jets are off the board, including Carson Wentz and Andy Dalton.

Now, there is a limited pool of options Gang Green can add to fill that role.

Here are four options the Jets can target to fill out their quarterback depth chart, including two trade targets and two pending free agents.

Tyrod Taylor (FA)

Tyrod Taylor, 36, spent the last two seasons with New York but is currently an unrestricted free agent.

The 15-year NFL veteran appeared in six games for the Jets last season, including four starts, leading the team to a 1-3 record. He completed 59.7% of his passing attempts for 779 yards (5.8 yards per attempt), five touchdowns, and five interceptions.

On the ground, he added 143 yards, a touchdown, and a fumble on 27 attempts.

Over the past few seasons, Taylor has been one of the league’s most consistent backup quarterbacks. However, he has historically struggled to stay healthy.

In 2025 alone, he missed the entire preseason due to arthroscopic knee surgery. Beyond that, Taylor was widely expected to start in the team’s Week 8 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals but was unable to do so due to a knee injury. He also suffered a groin injury in Week 14, causing the veteran to miss three games and forcing the Jets to turn to undrafted rookie Brady Cook.

Also, Taylor is entering his age-37 season, which raises the question: How much does he have left in the tank?

Overall, if the Jets can bring Taylor back, his best fit would likely be as a third quarterback and a veteran presence who can mentor a young player or a rookie slotted into the QB2 role.

However, with options thinning across the league, we cannot completely dismiss the possibility of Taylor serving as the Jets’ primary backup next season.

Cooper Rush (FA)

Cooper Rush, 32, is one of the most experienced options remaining on the free agent market alongside Taylor.

Throughout his eight NFL seasons, Rush has appeared in 42 games, leading his teams to a 9-7 record across 16 starts. He has completed 61.1% of his career passing attempts for 3,766 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.

During his final seasons with the Dallas Cowboys (2022-24), Rush built a reputation as one of the most reliable backup signal-callers in the sport, helping him earn a two-year, $6.2 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens ahead of the 2025 season.

However, when he was called into action, he struggled mightily. Across two starts for the Ravens, Rush led the team to a 0-2 record while completing 65.4% of his passing attempts for 303 yards (5.8 yards per attempt), zero touchdowns, and four interceptions.

Coming off his worst season in the NFL at 32 years old, Rush isn’t an inspiring option, but similar to Taylor, given the lack of proven veterans available, his name must at least be considered.

Joe Milton, Dallas Cowboys (Trade)

Joe Milton is one of the most fascinating options the Jets could pursue.

A sixth-round pick by the New England Patriots in 2024, the Tennessee product hasn’t gotten a fair opportunity to prove his worth at the NFL level.

The 26-year-old made his NFL debut in Week 18 of his rookie season with the Patriots, where he impressed against the Buffalo Bills’ backup defense, completing 22 of his 29 passes (75.9%) for 241 yards (8.3 yards per attempt), a touchdown, and zero interceptions. On the ground, he added 50 yards, a touchdown, and a fumble throughout five attempts.

In April 2025, Milton was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a seventh-round pick.

He spent the 2025 season in a backup role with Dallas behind Dak Prescott, where he didn’t make a start but appeared in four games. In his appearances, Milton completed 15 of 24 passing attempts (62.5%) for 183 yards (7.6 yards per attempt), a touchdown, and two interceptions.

At 6-foot-5 and 246 pounds, Milton possesses a massive frame, video-game-esque arm strength, and hyper-athleticism.

If the Jets are interested, they could most likely acquire the quarterback in exchange for some late-round draft capital while essentially treating him like a rookie.

Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints (Trade)

Since entering the league as a fifth-round pick in 2024, Spencer Rattler’s NFL career has been turbulent… to put it lightly.

After Derek Carr suffered an injury in Week 5 of his rookie season, Rattler was named the New Orleans Saints’ starting quarterback. He ultimately made six starts as a rookie while steering the Saints to an atrocious 0-6 record, completing 57% of his passes for 1,317 yards, four touchdowns, and five interceptions.

However, it is important to note that the Saints’ supporting cast was less than ideal that season, as the team ranked dead last in Pro Football Focus’ pass-blocking grade and 25th in PFF’s receiving grade.

Following a training camp battle with Tyler Shough ahead of the 2025 season, Rattler was named the team’s starter to open his sophomore campaign under a new head coach, Kellen Moore.

However, the South Carolina product continued to struggle.

New Orleans opened the season with a 1-7 record with Rattler as a starter, but his play improved from the year prior. His completion rate rose to 67.7% while tossing for double the touchdowns (8), although he still threw five picks.

Following the rough start, though, Moore benched Rattler in favor of Shough.

Shough led the Saints to a promising finish, going 5-4 in his nine starts to close out the season while receiving votes for Offensive Rookie of the Year and cracking the PFWA’s (Pro Football Writers of America) All-Rookie team.

That said, Rattler is in an interesting situation.

Shough will be the Saints’ Week 1 starter to open the 2025 season, while Rattler still has two years left on his rookie contract.

Connecting the dots, it appears Rattler could be moved.

At 6 feet and 211 pounds, Rattler doesn’t have the most appealing stature, but he has starting experience and is only 25. Sometimes, a different situation is all it takes for a player like Rattler to get on the right track.

Could the Jets view him as a reclamation project?