Although the rebuilding Jets are still devoid of a franchise quarterback, they have made significant changes at the position this offseason. Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor, who combined for 13 starts last year, are now with other teams. The Jets replaced them with new starter Geno Smith, whom they acquired from the Raiders for a late-round pick swap. The deal sent Smith back to where his career began in 2013 as a second-round selection.
Smith had his best years as the Seahawks’ QB1 from 2022-24, but he struggled mightily last season after the Raiders acquired him for a third-rounder and gave him a three-year, $75MM extension. The 35-year-old won just two of 15 starts, threw a league-worst 17 interceptions (against 19 touchdowns) and finished 27th among 28 qualifiers in QBR (34.1). Nevertheless, the Jets and head coach Aaron Glenn have left no doubt Smith will be their starter when the upcoming season begins.
While Smith is entrenched atop the Jets’ depth chart, there is less certainty behind him. They have three other passers on their roster – Bailey Zappe, Brady Cook and fourth-round rookie Cade Klubnik – and any of them could conceivably take the Jets’ No. 2 job. Glenn said Zappe is in the lead right now, but the team will hold an open competition for the role (via Brian Costello of New York Post).
The 27-year-old Zappe joined the Jets on a reserve/futures deal in January. He carries the most pro experience of the Jets’ backup contenders, but that isn’t saying much. The Western Kentucky product has made just nine starts since the Patriots took him in the fourth round in 2022. He posted dismal results over a career-high six starts in 2023, and he did not survive final cuts with them heading into the next season.
Zappe’s ninth and most recent start came with the Browns in a 35-10 loss to the Ravens in the 2024 season finale. He was with the Browns again last year, but as a member of their practice squad, he did not get into any games. Over 15 appearances in the league, Zappe has connected on 62.1% of attempts, thrown more INTs (14) than TDs (12), and recorded a traditional passer rating of 76.0.
Cook was part of the Jets’ class of undrafted rookie free agents in May 2025. He joined Fields and Taylor in making starts for the Jets last season, but it was a rough go for the ex-Missouri Tiger. As Fields and Taylor battled injuries, Cook made four late-season starts and suffered lopsided defeats in each of them. He ended his rookie year with a 57.5% completion rate, two scores, seven picks and a 55.4 rating. As ugly as those numbers look, it’s fair to point out Cook had little in the way of help. A Jets team already sorely lacking in weapons lost No. 1 receiver Garrett Wilson to a season-ending shoulder injury weeks before Cook got on the field.
Instead of reaching for a QB in a weak class in the first couple of rounds, the Jets used their top five picks (including three first-rounders) to bolster other areas. They finally addressed the game’s most important position at 110th overall, where they grabbed Klubnik. The Jets traded up from No. 128 for Klubnik, a three-year Clemson starter whose stock dropped during a disappointing final season in school. The 22-year-old looked good at rookie minicamp, though, and the Jets have held off on adding a free agent QB because they want to spend more time evaluating Klubnik.
In the event the Jets ultimately go outside the organization for another backup option, it is worth pointing out the team hosted free agent Russell Wilson in late April. The 10-time Pro Bowler said in early May that he was mulling an offer from the Jets, but he is still available three weeks later.
If you’re a Jets fan, I figure that you’d have to root for Klubnik, here. Zappe really is not someone who puts you at ease starting games (even if I remember a time when people, for some reason, thought that he had more potential than Mac Jones), and Cook was an extreme disappointment last year. Granted, Cook was sort of trotted out there without a supporting cast and under an offensive staff that was in a chaotic identity crisis, but you can’t forget the results of watching his decision making in those starts.
You can’t forget see why the Jets offered Wilson, with the options at hand, but if Geno is the starter, I don’t think that they gain anything by having a known commodity like Zappe behind him. Klubnik or Cook seem to be better choices, in that order, if New York wants to spend this rebuild year as one to evaluate or develop their roster. They’re not competing, in all likelihood, for a playoff spot, so exposing a first or second year player to snaps seems more prudent than a placeholder free agent. This could, obviously, simply be a function of the fact that Zappe simply is capable of running an offense (whereas Klubnik and Cook are not), but you’d hope that the Jets would want to have one of the young guys exposed to snaps in a developmental year.
Zappe attack and Klubnik will be QB 2 and 3, but with Geno coming off a terrible year don’t expect much from QB 1 either.
This could possibly be the most anticipated competition since Mike Tyson & Jake Paul. Netflix should consult the NFL and Jets about broadcast licensing 🙂
Don’t think qb2 matters here. I’d guess zappe. I’m far from a jet fan but I think they’re going to be better then everyone expects. Somewhere in the 7-9 win range. Enough to put them out of the running for the top pick all jet fans want for a QB