Jets' Robert Saleh likes keeping three QBs, but which three?
Jets head coach Robert Saleh against the Detroit Lions at MetLife Stadium on Dec. 18, 2022. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Robert Saleh would like Mike White back with the Jets, likely as the backup to whichever established starter the Jets acquire this offseason.
“Oh, yeah,” Saleh said on a Thursday morning Zoom call. “I feel like I probably should be talking about him more. Mike deserves every bit to be talked about. He should be on this roster also. We carried three [quarterbacks] last year. But he’s going through his process. It’s just something we’re keeping close tabs on.”
White, who started four games last season, is set to become a free agent on March 15. He would like to have some security and stability as well as the ability to compete for a starting job. That’s why there’s no guarantee he will return, because if the Jets land Aaron Rodgers or Derek Carr, that quarterback will be the unquestioned starter.
Zach Wilson is expected back with the Jets and probably would be the No. 3 quarterback in this scenario after a disappointing start to his NFL career. His long-term future with the Jets remains cloudy. But Saleh said he wants three quarterbacks on the roster like last season, when the Jets had Wilson, White and Joe Flacco.
“Quarterbacks are like gold,” Saleh said. “If you have three guys that you have full faith in, then absolutely you hold them. If we’re presented with that same opportunity again, you’d love to keep it that way.”
Saleh reiterated what general manager Joe Douglas said about Wilson this week — that the former No. 2 pick can still reach his ceiling. But Saleh couldn’t say that Wilson would do it as a member of the Jets.
If they trade for the 39-year-old Rodgers, he might play another two years. If it’s Carr, 31, he likely would be the Jets’ quarterback for longer.
“You guys know me: It’s stay in the moment and try to do everything we can to help everyone get better, be the best version of themselves they can be,” Saleh said. “So whether we bring in a guy who’s in his early 30s and you know he’s going to be here for a while, the focus is just to help [Wilson] get better as best as he can.
“If his best gets to be showcased here as a New York Jet, awesome. If not, it’s still awesome because all we want is what’s best for him and his development — no different than any other player on our roster. It’s our job to make sure we’re doing everything we can to help them find ways to reach their max potential as coaches.”
The Jets remain in a holding pattern in their quarterback pursuit as the NFL awaits Rodgers’ decision on whether he wants to play this season and return to the Packers.
If Rodgers is open to a trade to the Jets, they will be ready to strike a deal for the four-time MVP. If not, they could go all-in for Carr, a four-time Pro Bowler.
“As a coach, you always want it done yesterday,” Saleh said. “But we appreciate everyone’s process.”
The Jets could sign Carr now without giving up any compensation because the Raiders released him three weeks ago.
Carr has met with the Jets twice — once in New Jersey and again on Wednesday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Saleh was supposed to attend the meeting, which included owner Woody Johnson, but Saleh couldn’t fly out because of an illness.
Saleh spent a lot of time with Carr during his two-day visit to New Jersey last month and had nothing but positive things to say about him. He called him a “tremendous” and “impressive young man” who could flourish in the right environment.
He compared Carr, who has spent his first nine years with the Raiders, to Matthew Stafford, who won a Super Bowl in his first season with the Rams after spending 12 years with the Lions.
“He’s got an elite mental makeup with regards to football IQ,” Saleh said. “He’s got tremendous accuracy and arm strength. He can put the ball anywhere you want. He’s underrated in terms of a scrambler and being able to move out of the pocket and all that stuff. He’s been asked to do a lot in his career.
“I think he’s more in line with what Stafford’s career has been in terms of if you can just get him to a place where you can surround with all the pieces to allow him to just play quarterback 10, 15 times a game, it’ll be pretty cool. He’s a solid young man.”
“Quarterbacks are like gold,” Saleh said. “If you have three guys that you have full faith in then absolutely you hold them.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
