Jets' worst-case scenario would be all too familiar for longtime fans

The New York Jets are probably one of the unluckiest teams when it comes to quarterback play over their franchise history.

Since Joe Namath, the Jets have never had that one quarterback who has the ability to put the team on their back and bring them to the promised land. They've tried to find him, whether that be high draft picks, free agent signings, or trades, but it's just never worked out.

Instead, they're condemned to year-to-year bridge quarterbacks, especially in the current era. The latest vet to don the Green & White? Former Jets draft pick Geno Smith.

The Jets brought him back to stabilize the ship for at least one season, before they dip their toe back in the rookie quarterback waters. But is New York falling back into the same trap they have so many times before?

Jets' worst-case scenario would be quarterbacks flopping... again

Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox predicted each NFL team's worst-case scenario in the 2026 season, and for the Jets, it would be a situation that has happened to the Jets countless times in their history.

Their quarterbacks are unable to execute at a competent level, and it leaves everyone questioning if it's the signal caller or his surroundings.

"In a worst-case scenario, the Jets get even less quarterback stability out of Smith, Klubnik, Brady Cook, and/or Bailey Zappe than what they had from Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor, and Cook last season. If the Jets' passing game is truly dreadful once again, they'll have a difficult time accurately gauging what they have in their less-proven players, especially pass-catchers like Sadiq and Cooper."

Kristopher Knox

You can go back to just about any era of Jets football and see this example playing out throughout the regular season.

In the early days of Sam Darnold, the Jets were not a good football team. They had practically no offensive line and few weapons for the former No. 3 overall pick to work with.

Questions were asked: Is it Darnold or the Jets? The same thing happened with Mark Sanchez after the 2009 and 2010 runs, and even at the start of the Zach Wilson era.

It's a familiar place for the team to be in, and it's the reason why they went out and got Smith. The Jets are hoping he'll be competent enough to at least deliver the football to his playmakers efficiently.

Maybe it won't be all that bad for this season. If the Jets fall on their face, they'll be perfectly set up to grab one of the 2027 NFL Draft's top quarterback prospects.

But the question will still be whether or not New York has the supporting cast to foster a healthy environment for a young quarterback.

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