Jets get unfortunate update on trade price of several veteran QB options

At his end-of-season press conference, New York Jets general manager Darren Mougey vowed to "exhaust every option" as the team searches for its next starting quarterback.

That work begins this week, at the NFL Scouting Combine, when preemptive offseason conversations will begin between general managers and agents about their clients and players. Mougey will surely be having plenty of talks regarding quarterbacks.

Some analysts have urged the Jets to go the route of trading for veteran backups from other teams that already have their starter, including the San Francisco 49ers' Mac Jones, Philadelphia Eagles' Tanner McKee, and Houston Texans' Davis Mills. But unfortunately for New York, the price tag on these QB2s may be higher than expected.

Jets may have to cough up premium draft capital for other teams' backup QBs

According to The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt, the quarterback trade market will be pricey, despite the lack of experience among the bunch.

The 49ers have done their best to pump up Jones' value. Throughout the offseason, they've insisted they won't trade him, but Rosenblatt says that could be a bargaining tactic. He expects "it would probably take at least a second-round pick" to pry him away from San Francisco.

New York has the draft capital to facilitate the trade. They have two second-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, but can they afford to use one on a mid-tier quarterback while they have so many other holes on their roster?

In the Eagles case, McKee makes sense as a potential archetype fit for new offensive coordinator Frank Reich. But Philadelphia is high on their backup quarterback, and Rosenblatt also suggested the cost may be more expensive than originally thought.

"McKee has flashed potential in preseason appearances but is otherwise unproven, and the Eagles’ asking price might be higher than you’d think."

Zack Rosenblatt

The final two names mentioned by Rosenblatt are the aforementioned Texans backup, Mills, and Arizona Cardinals veteran Jacoby Brissett.

"Houston Texans backup Davis Mills also has the size (6-4, 225) and some experience (29 starts), but Houston extended him last offseason. It’s also worth checking in on Cardinals veteran Jacoby Brissett, along with a few other veterans under contract who aren’t in line to start elsewhere."

Zack Rosenblatt

With Jones set to garner a second-round pick, the other quarterbacks could range anywhere from a third or fourth-round pick.

One thing is for sure: opposing teams are aware of how desperate the Jets are for a quarterback, and they're sure to take advantage of that when engaging in trade discussions with New York.