Why the NY Jets are at the center of the 2025 NFL quarterback carousel

If you are in the New York Jets fan bubble, it's hard not to think that the entire football world revolves around your favorite team. Perhaps the recent and soon-to-be events are acting as a cruel ongoing gag by the 'Football Gods' toward the Jets and their faithful.

Where does one begin? Let's start with former Jets franchise quarterback Geno Smith. On Friday night, the two-time Pro Bowl signal-caller was traded from the Seattle Seahawks to former Jets head coach Pete Carroll's new team in Las Vegas.

The compensation was a third-round draft selection that the Raiders acquired from the Jets in exchange for star receiver Davante Adams, who New York has since released.

A small consolation is that the pick from Vegas to Seattle is a selection the Jets acquired from Detroit last year. New York sent that pick over to Vegas for Adams. The Jets maintained their original third-round selection, No. 73, and sent over No. 92.

Somehow, everyone who follows and covers the Jets didn't know this vital detail until now. Nevertheless, the Jets' acquisition of Adams ties into Vegas's acquisition of another former Jet in Smith.

The Raiders trade for the 35-year-old Geno Smith could impact what Vegas does in the first round in the draft one pick ahead of the Jets. Quarterback could be on the table for both teams at No. 6 and No. 7 overall, respectively, but perhaps it isn't as high of a priority for Vegas now.

The 2025 quarterback carousel revolves around the NY Jets

The Jets tie-ins don't stop there. Sam Darnold is the next former Jets franchise QB turned star who is set to find a new team. Like Smith, Darnold finally realized his potential away from the Jets last season with Minnesota.

Things didn't end in an ideal fashion for Darnold and the Vikings. Still, the top draft pick is set to potentially cash in as a bonafide long-term starter if he doesn't stay on as a bridge option in Minnesota until another highly touted first-round pick, J.J. McCarthy, recovers from an injury-plagued rookie season, which thrust Darnold into his current status as a coveted free agent.

Speaking of bridges and star quarterbacks. The new Jets braintrust decided to pass on retaining Aaron Rodgers for the 2025 season. The future first-ballot Hall of Famer endured much adversity during his two years with the Jets.

Rodgers, who came in with great fanfare, experienced what life was like as a New York Jet immediately when he tore his Achilles four plays into his regular season debut for the Green and White. The four-time NFL MVP got back on the field the following season, but it was a rough road back to being the player he was.

The Jets' new football regime has opted to move on from Rodgers. In comes the cross-town New York Giants, who share the same stadium at MetLife. The Giants are looking to obtain the services of a veteran bridge quarterback while the team seeks a long-term solution at the position.

The union of the Giants and Rodgers is far from certain, but watching Rodgers potentially succeed at MetLife Stadium in a Giants uniform would be another painful pill for the Jets faithful to swallow.

There's also recent chatter that the Giants may not be the only team looking to add Rodgers, as ironically enough, the Minnesota Vikings, who are expected to lose Darnold in free agency, may pivot to adding another former Jets quarterback in the former Green Bay Packers great.

Jets fans have seen this movie before when another Packers legend, Brett Favre, made his way to Minnesota after a brief dalliance with the Jets.

If a Rodgers detour to Minnesota does happen, it could also affect the Jets' chances of signing rumored target, Justin Fields. That's because the Giants' veteran pivot, if Rodgers doesn't stay at MetLife, could be Russell Wilson, who may have ended up reuniting with Carroll in Vegas if not for the Geno Smith trade. Or maybe the Steelers will somehow shift to signing Rodgers.

Nevertheless, as all these things unfold, it's challenging not to believe that everything always comes back to the New York Jets.

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