NFL Trade Rumors: Jets Could Deal Quarterback Before 2018 Season Starts

When the New York Jets play their first game of the 2018 NFL preseason Friday night, three quarterbacks will be competing for the starting gig. Only one man can win the job, of course, but it’s possible that two of the signal callers currently on the roster will be starters when Week 1 rolls around.

That’s because the Jets are open to trading Teddy Bridgewater in the right deal, according to The New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta. Sam Darnold is New York’s quarterback of the future and Josh McCown doesn’t have nearly the same upside as Bridgewater, making the former Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback the most likely trade candidate.

“I know that’s a question that comes up,” Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan recently said about the possibility of dealing a quarterback, via the Daily News. “Any time you have a number of players that you like at a position, it’s a natural thing (to think), ‘Hey, they may have a — I’m not saying we have a surplus… but some teams carry two quarterbacks. (So) you have the ability to potentially (think), ‘Oh, hypothetically we could do that.’

“But our big thing, quite frankly, is to see how all these players develop. We like a lot of things that Teddy’s done this offseason. We obviously know Josh from having him last year and what he brings to the table. But I would say from that standpoint, it’s very early. We kind of want to see how these guys still grow and develop.”

In the Jets’ perfect world, Darnold would prove to be the best man for the job just months after New York drafted him with the No.3 overall pick. That might be a lot to ask, considering the USC product only recently turned 21 years old.

Perhaps the Jets will go with McCown, who was more than serviceable in 13 games last year. The 39-year-old had 18 touchdowns, nine interceptions and a 94.5 passer rating, though the veteran seems to be the least likely option.

It wasn’t long ago that the Vikings viewed Bridgewater as their quarterback for years to come. He led Minnesota to the playoffs in his second year before a broken leg in 2016 training camp derailed his season and sidelined him for basically two years. A strong performance by Bridgewater this preseason could certainly pique the interest of teams in need of a starting quarterback.

There might not be any teams looking to trade for a signal caller over the next few weeks. Maybe a couple of teams will try to make an upgrade at the position. It will all depend on what happens in August, which often does feature at least one major injury to a starting quarterback.

Last year it was Ryan Tannehill who suffered a season-ending injury in the summer, forcing the Miami Dolphins to lure Jay Cutler out of retirement. The Indianapolis Colts acquired Jacoby Brissett from the New England Patriots just days before the start of the 2017 NFL season when it became clear that Andrew Luck would be out for a while with a shoulder injury.

Bridgewater got hurt two years ago, prompting the Vikings to trade for Sam Bradford. Tony Romo suffered a major injury in 2016, as well, and the Dallas Cowboys replaced him with fourth-round draft pick Dak Prescott. Bradford tore his ACL in the 2014 preseason when he was the St. Louis Rams’ starter.

New York might not receive a ton in return for Bridgewater in a potential trade. He hasn’t started a game since the 2015 season and will become a free agent after this year.

No deal is likely coming soon, if at all. According to Mehta, the Jets want time to evaluate Darnold, who has never played in an NFL game.

The Jets host the Atlanta Falcons Friday night in their preseason opener. New York will face the Washington Redskins, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles in consecutive weeks for the remainder of the preseason.