There will be a new man under centre in 2025.
Earlier this week the New York Jets confirmed they were parting ways with Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers, ending an era that promised so much but delivered so little – but we will always have the Thursday night demolition of the New England Patriots!
So who will be under centre for the Jets in 2025? Here are the four of the leading candidates.
The Incumbent: Tyrod Taylor
If the season were to started tomorrow, then Tyrod Taylor would most likely be the man to lead the Jets offense.
The veteran passer has been a solid back-up in the latter part of his career, but did have three respectable seasons as the Buffalo Bills starter between 2015-2017; throwing for over 8,000 yards with 51 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
If the Jets are looking for a man to just hold the fort for a season, they could do a lot worse than Taylor. But will this show frustrated stars like Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall that the team is trying to build a winning culture and return to the postseason?
The Prodigal Son Returns: Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold, the prodigal son. Is it too much to dream that Darnold returns to the Jets this summer and leads the franchise back to the play-offs? Darnold had a career year in 2024 with the Minnesota Vikings, finishing the season with over 4,000 yards and 35 touchdowns.
I always felt Darnold got a raw deal when he was traded away from the Jets, he was never surrounded by any talent in New York and the coaching was sub par to say the least.
The staff assembled by Aaron Glenn helped work wonders with Jared Goff in Detroit, could they do the same with a guy who was the number three pick all those years ago?
The Wildcard: Justin Fields
A name which has been doing the rounds on Jets Twitter recently is Justin Fields.
The quarterback seems unlikely to be given another contract by the Pittsburgh Steelers, after losing his job to Russell Wilson midway through 2024.
Fields is an extremely intriguing candidate to me, he has shown some flashes of brilliance but also has well documented issues with accuracy and turnovers.
He would certainly add a dynamic running threat to compliment the Jets backfield, as well as a established connection with Wilson from their days at Ohio State.
As a one-year rental it could be fun to watch Fields run around MetLife making some plays, but I do not think it is the direction the franchise will go.
The Rookie: Jaxson Dart
One of the constant themes of this years draft seems to be that there is no standout quarterback prospect, they are good but are any of them potentially great?
However one name which keeps popping up in relation to the Jets is Ole Miss rookie Jaxson Dart.
The Rebels passer enjoyed an extremely productive 2024 season, leading the SEC in passing yards, boasting an impressive 69% completion rate and 29 touchdowns.
Jets general manager Darren Mougey was part of the front-office in Denver which drafted Bo Nix last year, when many didn’t consider him a top prospect – could he be ready to pull the trigger again and make Dart the Jets quarterback?
Conclusion
Whoever the Jets bring in next will be under massive pressure regardless of experience.
The talk around the rookie Dart is very intriguing and I could envision Tyrod Taylor starting for a season while the rookie learns the offense. Taylor has shown he can be a dependable starter and can hold the fort during 2025.
That is what my head says, but my heart would love to see Darnold return to the Big Apple and take the Jets back to the play-offs.
