It’s red alert time in New York. While the Jets won last night, they lost their starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers four plays into his Jets career. Not ideal. With a long and treacherous season ahead, the Jets may want to find a new option at quarterback rather than riding with Zach Wilson. To help them work through their quarterback woes, I’ve furnished a list of quarterbacks they could acquire to replace Rodgers for the season.

Sign Carson Wentz

The Jets signing Carson Wentz feels like a no-brainer and the easiest move to make. He acted as the quick fix in Indianapolis and Washington, but didn’t exactly perform on a high level. Maybe Wentz could serve better as an emergency quarterback than a quick fix. The former second overall pick in the 2016 draft played in eight games for the Commanders in 2022 passing for 1,755 yards, 11 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, and a 34.4 QBR. I’m not trying to say that Wentz will play at the level Rodgers would, but the Jets have great weapons. All Wentz has to do is put the ball in the area of guys like Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard and they’ll make plays.

Sign Matt Ryan

Even though Ryan spent time in the broadcast booth this past weekend, I feel like he thinks he still has some juice in the tank. Personally, I don’t think he does, but I wouldn’t doubt Ryan’s confidence and I think Joe Douglas would at least give him a call to test the waters. Last season with the Colts, Ryan passed for 3,057 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. While that stat line isn’t horrendous, a big issue with Ryan last year was his arm strength. He struggled to push the ball downfield and even make longer cross-field throws. If the Jets want a quarterback to just play serviceable and not make a ton of mistakes, Ryan is their guy. But if they’re looking for someone to push the ball downfield and make plays, then they should let Ryan hang out in the booth.

Sign Nick Foles

With Ryan Fitzpatrick out of the league, Nick Foles has become the newest fixer. He shows up places and fills in when needed. Whether it’s Indianapolis, Chicago, Jacksonville, or Philadelphia, Foles is a perfect emergency quarterback. He’s not overly flashy in his approach as he’s on the field just trying to win games. Foles, much like Ryan, won’t do a lot of damage to the Jets, but he won’t be a player that sets them over the edge of being a great team. I think that’s something the Jets and their fans have to understand. Whoever is their quarterback this season sans Rodgers isn’t going to do much other than shoot to be just over .500.

Trade For Jameis Winston

This is what the people would want. The Jets have four more primetime games this season and I’d love to see Jameis Winston starting for New York in those games. He’s currently backing up Derek Carr in New Orleans and after the contract the Saints gave Carr, I don’t think it’d take much for them to part ways with Winston, making him an easy trade target. Winston has a huge arm and him linking with Lazard, Wilson, Hall, and Conklin would elevate the Jets offense more than Zach Wilson would.

Keep Zach Wilson

There’s always this option. If the Jets don’t want to give up any draft collateral in a trade or a guy on a desperate one year deal, they could just ride it out with Zach Wilson. Many Jets fans are cringing right now. I can understand that. But after watching him play last night, Wilson doesn’t look that bad. He went 14-21 with 140 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. That was him coming in cold off the heels of a jarring injury. If he gets reps more with Rodgers as his mentor, Wilson could get the Jets to the playoffs.

Sign Tom Brady

It feels very unlikely… but what if? This’d feel like Brady betraying the Patriots in a massive way and his return to Gillette Stadium would be less friendly than the one he received this weekend. Again, probably unlikely the Jets convince Brady to come out of retirement and sign him… but what if?

Sign Colin Kaepernick

This is an even bigger joke than me mentioning Brady, but I felt obliged to add Kaepernick to this list since Jemele Hill is campaigning hard for a guy who hasn’t taken a snap in six years to be the next Jets starter. Maybe I’m dumb, but I see no scenario where Joe Douglas call Kaepernick even for a workout.