Should the Jets bring back Josh McCown in 2018?

The New York Jets have an interesting situation on their hands when it comes to quarterback Josh McCown and if he should be brought back for next season.

If anyone told you that quarterback Josh McCown would have the kind of season he has been enjoying with the New York Jets this past offseason, they probably would have laughed in your face. Believe it or not, McCown has gone above and beyond the call of duty with the Jets and has played some of the best football of his career. So much so, many Jets fans probably wouldn’t mind bringing McCown back next season but should they?

In the grand scheme of things, the quarterback situation is a delicate one, as always, and even more so next season. At some point, the Jets have to make a difficult decision when it comes to all their quarterbacks currently on the roster. Besides McCown, should the Jets keep Bryce Petty around as a backup and continue to invest their time and resources on Christian Hackenberg, who so far looks like he’s regressing rather than progressing?

The best situation the Jets can do is still consider bringing back McCown as a backup and go with a younger quarterback under center to start in 2018. They should have another open and fair quarterback competition during training camp between other options and delegate McCown to be a veteran backup. There is no reason to start McCown yet again when the Jets need to have a young franchise quarterback under center to build around.

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It’s hard to believe the Jets keeping things the way they are for next season but they’ll once again be in the market for an established quarterback whether they land a top one in free agency or draft the best one available in the 2018 NFL Draft. If neither Petty or Hackenberg see playing time this season, that doesn’t bode well for one of their futures on the team.

The Jets would be wise to bring back McCown as a veteran backup next season, release either Petty or Hackenberg, whichever quarterback is deemed unable to be “the guy” and then bring in someone who is more than capable to start and succeed.

Veteran quarterbacks are huge for any team so McCown’s leadership alone is worth bringing him back and the fact that he’d be an incredible mentor is the icing on the cake. Even if let’s say the Jets land someone like Kirk Cousins or Alex Smith next offseason, it’s good to have a veteran backup that is capable of stepping in and performing if an injury or a decline in play happens.

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The Jets don’t need more than three quarterbacks tops on their roster but at the end of the day, McCown is still worth keeping around just in that backup/mentoring role but shouldn’t be starting unless it’s an emergency next season. It’s time the Jets got a young or at least, a better quarterback, that can push this team into a playoff contender.