Zach Wilson signing could unexpectedly help Jets land young QB

The New York Jets addressed several roster holes in free agency and via the trade market, adding key pieces on both sides of the ball to reshape Aaron Glenn’s roster. They even landed a new starting quarterback, acquiring Geno Smith in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Despite being linked to a number of quarterback options, the Jets have yet to land their preferred backup. The likes of Carson Wentz and Andy Dalton — long viewed as potential targets — have signed elsewhere, leaving New York searching for alternatives.

Meanwhile, several former Jets quarterbacks have also come off the market in recent days, with Zach Wilson the latest to find a new home, agreeing to a one-year deal with the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday.

While Wilson was never going to be on the Jets’ radar as a backup option, he could — in a roundabout way — help his former team land a young, promising QB2.

Zach Wilson could help facilitate a Jets trade for Spencer Rattler

The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt recently speculated that Wilson's arrival in New Orleans could potentially open the door for Spencer Rattler to emerge as a Jets trade option. Rattler is currently penciled in as the team's backup entering 2026, but could Wilson change those plans?

Rattler entered 2025 as the Saints' QB1, starting eight games before New Orleans turned the reins of the offense over to rookie Tyler Shough. The Louisville product would perform well down the stretch and is expected to remain the Saints' starting quarterback for the foreseeable future.

As for Rattler, while he was ultimately outplayed by Shough, his performance over the first half of 2025 was far from disastrous. The 2024 fifth-round pick completed 68% of his passes, averaged 6.2 yards per attempt, and finished with eight touchdowns and five interceptions in a lowly Saints offense.

Rattler earned some praise for his performance last season, even if it ultimately made sense for the Saints to give Shough — a second-round rookie on a struggling team — an opportunity. He didn’t light up the stat sheet, but Rattler looked the part of a competent NFL quarterback.

At a bare minimum, Rattler would be an inexpensive, capable backup quarterback option for the Jets, and someone who, at just 25 years old, could theoretically develop behind Smith.

The Jets have explored the backup quarterback trade market this offseason, reportedly inquiring about the likes of Tanner McKee, Davis Mills, and even Mac Jones. They ultimately came away with the impression that the asking price for all three was far too high.

Would it be a different situation with Rattler? It's worth at least picking up the phone and calling longtime Saints general manager Mickey Loomis.

Of course, the Saints probably shouldn’t be making any quarterback decisions with Zach Wilson factoring into the equation. The former No. 2 overall pick spent all of 2024 as QB3 in Denver before finding himself benched in favor of seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers this past season in Miami.

But if Rattler does indeed become available for the right price — likely nothing more than an early Day 3 pick — the Jets should absolutely be interested. Darren Mougey might as well make the call.