New York Jets: Mike Maccagnan Not Committing To Josh McCown As Starter
New York Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan would not commit to Josh McCown being the team’s starter for the 2017 regular season.
The New York Jets have one of the worst quarterback situations in the NFL. They have younger players in Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg, but neither player looks like the long-term answer. They went into free agency looking to add a veteran but whiffed early in the process.
Mike Glennon and Brian Hoyer were two players the Jets reportedly had interest in, but they signed with the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers. As a result, the Jets had to catch the second waive of quarterbacks and landed Josh McCown.
McCown is a solid veteran option. At 38-years old, he knows the deal. He is not the long-term option for the Jets. instead just a bridge player. He can fill in for this season, buying time for the organization to find a long-term answer.
It is presumed that McCown will be the starting quarterback in 2017. But, general manager Mike Maccagnan will not yet commit to McCown being the team’s starter this season.
Maccagnan won't say if McCown will go into camp as the starter. He defers to Bowles on that one. No surprise. #Jets
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) March 24, 2017
At this stage in the offseason, it makes little sense to declare a starter. The team has not even had any organized practices yet and the NFL Draft is still over a month away. The Jets could change course and select a quarterback early in the 2017 NFL Draft, changing their plans for the upcoming season.
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Maccagnan said that it is highly unlikely that the Jets add another veteran quarterback. But, he did say that bringing in another rookie is a possibility. Whether another quarterback is brought in or not, it does sound like all three of McCown, Petty, and Hackenberg will have a shot at playing during the offseason.
"“All three of those players will have an opportunity, both in the offseason and training camp, to kind of go out there and show where they’re at,” Maccagnan said."
It would be best for the Jets to prepare all three players. McCown should go into the regular season as the presumed starter, but it is fair to assume he will not make it through the whole regular season.
McCown has battled a ton of injuries in recent seasons. He has also struggled to win games, going 2-20 the last three seasons with the Cleveland Browns.
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Some of that can probably be attributed to the lack of talent on the team. But, the Jets should be prepared to have another player under center as starter this season as McCown is unlikely to make it through all 16 games.