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Seattle Seahawks quarterback Jalen Milroe reacting in the middle of an OTA practice.
The New York Jets have unanswered questions on the QB depth chart.
Jeremy Brener of the Seahawks on SI team revealed a “realistic” trade possibility. Seattle would send quarterback Jalen Milroe to the Jets.
A potential trade price wasn’t revealed in the article. Milroe, 23, will turn 24 during the 2026 season. He entered the league as the No. 92 overall pick in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft. Milroe won a Super Bowl ring during his rookie campaign as a backup.
“This is going to be a very competitive training camp with an extremely tight roster bubble. One place the Seahawks could open up a roster spot is at the quarterback position. Sam Darnold is guaranteed to be the starter, and Drew Lock appears to be a lock as the backup. Second-year quarterback Jalen Milroe could be on the outside looking in,” Brener explained.
“Milroe was a third-round pick out of Alabama last season, and he was selected as insurance in case Darnold flopped. That wasn’t the case, and Darnold ended up winning a Super Bowl. Therefore, Milroe’s future with the Seahawks looks a lot cloudier than it did when he first arrived last offseason,” he added.
“There are teams that could invest in Milroe’s future as a possible QB2 for the upcoming season. Nearly every team in the AFC East fits this bill,” Brener wrote. “The New York Jets have some quarterback questions of their own with Geno Smith as the starter, but they could add a quarterback with some upside in Milroe to give themselves some versatility.”
Would Be a Fun Kick of the Tires
Milroe has three years remaining on his $6.2 million rookie contract.
He appeared in three games in 2025, but didn’t make a start. Milroe had three rushing attempts for four yards. That was it.
“Milroe is an explosive athlete who is very capable outside the pocket, but he lacks accuracy, touch, and decision-making when he’s inside the pocket. A lack of anticipation and timing leads to interceptions and contested throws to intermediate areas of the field. He has an NFL arm, but he might need to fine-tune his footwork and delivery to improve accuracy on all three levels. He can get through his reads when he’s confident and feels protected, but becomes predictable and easier for defenses to manipulate when he’s rattled,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft profile.
“He’s built like a Will linebacker, runs like a receiver and is a threat to hit the home run on called runs and scrambles. Milroe was a much better deep-ball passer in 2023, but his 2024 regression makes it harder to project success from the pocket at a high enough rate to become a capable NFL starter. A strong arm and elite speed will have teams intrigued, but if he doesn’t make it as a starter, it’s incumbent upon his team to find a way to get the ball in his hands with packaged plays,” Zierlein added.
Jets Can Utilize Him in Packages
The Jets don’t need a starting quarterback; they have one in Geno Smith.
However, they do need a backup, and the competition remains wide open. Last year, the Jets took a gamble with Justin Fields. His dual-threat ability tantalized Aaron Glenn.
Not only was he an inferior starting quarterback, but Fields showed hesitancy when asked if he’d contribute in a potential wildcat role in sub-packages.
It sounds like the Jets wanted to have a change of pace quarterback who could present unique looks to the defense. Fields wasn’t willing to do it, but maybe Milroe would.
In his final collegiate season at Alabama, he led the team in rushing with 726 yards. “[He] ranked eighth in the FBS with 20 rushing TDs (second among QBs). Set school single-season record for rush TDs by a QB,” Zierlein said.
Paul Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he co-hosts a morning show, “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.” Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY, and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.