Ryan Tannehill is no longer a fallback option for the NY Jets

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Ryan Tannehill / George Walker IV/The Tennessean-USA

The NY Jets have reportedly been interested in Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill as a potential fallback option. While their attention remains on Aaron Rodgers and Derek Carr, Tannehill has been a distant Plan C or D for the organization.

However, it seems unlikely that this plan will be able to be enacted.

New Titans general manager Ran Carthon spoke to reporters at the NFL Combine on Tuesday, and he strongly suggested that Tannehill is going to be the team's quarterback in 2023.

Carthon claimed that Tannehill "is a Titan and he will be a Titan" this upcoming season. That sure doesn't sound like an organization that's looking to move on from their starting quarterback.

While NFL Network's Ian Rapoport left the door ever-so-slightly open for the Titans to still move on if need be, he also insisted that keeping Tannehill is still "the most likely option."

From NFL Now: #Titans GM Ran Carthon says QB Ryan Tannehill will be a Titan. It may be best for both sides for that to happen. pic.twitter.com/w0jZZWVHvI
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 28, 2023

Ryan Tannehill is not a realistic QB option for the NY Jets

Tannehill is set to enter the final year of his contract in 2023, carrying a cap hit of $36.6 million. The Titans could release Tannehill and save $17.8 million, but they'd also inherit a dead cap hit of $18.8 million.

The bigger obstacle, however, is who exactly would be their starting quarterback in 2023 if Tannehill is released. The Titans drafted Malik Willis to potentially serve as Tannehill's successor, but the former Liberty standout struggled mightily when thrust into action last year.

Willis isn't ready to take over the starting job, and the Titans aren't necessarily in the market to replace Tannehill with another short-term veteran. The most logical solution is to keep the 34-year-old around for one more year.

This shouldn't affect the Jets' quarterback plans significantly, at least if all goes according to plan. The Jets hope to land either Aaron Rodgers or Derek Carr this offseason. If they miss on both, Jimmy Garoppolo is the most feasible fallback option.

Tannehill wasn't going to be a primary contender for the Jets' quarterback job, but he was a potential contingency plan. With Tannehill now out of the picture, the Jets have one less option at their disposal.

Having fewer options is never a good thing, but if this situation ends up affecting the Jets in any meaningful way, something already went terribly wrong with the organization's quarterback plans.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.