4 moves NY Jets must make to reach next year's Super Bowl

3. The NY Jets must sign a reliable backup QB

The Jets made the mistake of relying on Zach Wilson to be their primary backup quarterback in 2023. The plan was for Wilson to sit behind and learn from Aaron Rodgers in what was expected to be a redshirt year for the former No. 2 overall pick.

It's not exactly wise, however, to plan a so-called redshirt year for your top backup QB. The Jets may not have been able to overcome losing Rodgers for the entire season, but even if the former All-Pro quarterback was forced to miss only a handful of games, the team needed a more reliable backup.

Wilson, to that point, had been one of the worst quarterbacks in modern NFL history, at least from a statistical standpoint. His only competition, Tim Boyle, might not even be a CFL-level quarterback.

The Jets seemed to think that was a proper backup quarterback plan going into the season, and it obviously cost them. The plan this time around appears to be different.

Jets general manager Joe Douglas has strongly suggested that he plans to be active in pursuit of a veteran backup quarterback this offseason. Team owner Woody Johnson cosigned that plan when speaking at NFL Honors on Thursday.

SNY's Connor Hughes has speculated that the Jets could spend as much as $10 million annually on a backup quarterback this spring. The writing is on the wall — the Jets learned from their mistake.

Expect the team to target names like Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew, and Ryan Tannehill this offseason. The Jets must have a reliable insurance plan at quarterback.