5 QBs with Nathaniel Hackett ties the NY Jets could target

The NY Jets are in search of a veteran quarterback to add following the devastating season-ending torn Achilles suffered by Aaron Rodgers in the team's regular-season opener on Monday.

While the Jets have said that they will add a veteran QB, they aren't looking for a Rodgers replacement. His replacement will come in the form of former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson.

The Jets are simply looking for a player who can serve as Wilson's backup. In particular, they're looking for someone who ideally is already familiar with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett's system.

Hackett's scheme is notoriously complex and difficult for quarterbacks to pick up. It makes sense that the Jets want someone with familiarity, given that learning an entirely new offensive system — let alone one as complex as Hackett's — in September is a difficult task.

With that, let's take a look at five potential targets who have experience playing under Hackett.

5. The NY Jets could sign Blake Bortles

Blake Bortles hasn't appeared in an NFL game since 2019, and he hasn't started a game since 2018, but the former No. 3 overall pick is a logical target for the Jets, given his history with Hackett.

Bortles found the most success of his NFL career working under Hackett in Jacksonville, putting together a couple of respectable seasons as a starter before the wheels fell off.

The UCF product most recently spent time with the Green Bay Packers, again alongside Hackett, and the New Orleans Saints in 2022, although he didn't appear in a game for either team.

Bortles' brief stint in Green Bay two years ago was almost exclusively because he knew Hackett's system. He may have officially announced his retirement from the NFL last October, but if his old friend comes calling, there's every chance he returns for one more run.