A successful weekend in Pittsburgh has New York Jets fans eager for the season. The team ended Thursday with three first-round picks to start the NFL Draft. Including 2025 co-sack leader David Bailey, who will be a big help for their defense as an edge rusher. Two new exciting offensive weapons, between tight end Kenyon Sadiq and wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. They also added to the secondary with Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds in the second round. On the final day, New York left the fourth round with Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik. The longtime Tigers quarterback will get every chance to compete for the backup quarterback job. However, that won’t stop the Jets from exploring their options for who should back up Geno Smith.
New rumors emerged that New York is considering signing another veteran. This latest report involves a scheduled visit with this Super Bowl Champion. But after a disastrous tenure with the New York Giants last fall, is it the best option?
Jets Backup Plans Could Involve Super Bowl Champion QB
The Jets hosted Russell Wilson for a visit and are considering him as an option to be Geno Smith's No. 2 quarterback, according to a source.
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) April 28, 2026
This season, the Jets are hoping to improve their passing game compared to last year. After finishing with the least amount of passing yards per game, drastic changes were needed. The Jets traded last year’s starting quarterback, Justin Fields, to the Kansas City Chiefs. The reason for it was that the Jets acquired quarterback Geno Smith from the Las Vegas Raiders. For New York, it’s a reunion between the team and Smith. In 2013, the Jets drafted Smith in the second round of the NFL Draft, and he played on the team for four years.
Now back in New York, the team hopes Smith can provide stability under center. After adding tight end Kenyon Sadiq and wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr., New York provided some reinforcements to pair with Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell, and Mason Taylor. However, while Geno Smith provides a more reliable passer, a quality backup should be necessary. New York added Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik in the fourth round of this year’s draft. But Klubnik can’t be trusted to start games right away should Smith get hurt. The Jets still need a backup quarterback. Ideally, the Jets can find someone with NFL starting experience to put behind him.
Jets could pursue Russell Wilson to be the team’s backup quarterback
On Tuesday, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reported that the Jets scheduled a visit with veteran quarterback Russell Wilson. The 15-year veteran has had a great career after being drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 2012. For 10 years, Wilson led the Seahawks under center and accomplished a lot. In nine of Wilson’s ten seasons as the starter, Wilson reached the Pro Bowl. In addition, Wilson earned his first All-Pro appearance in 2019. Paired with one of the best defensive units in league history, Wilson helped the Seahawks capture their first Super Bowl in franchise history in 2013. However, in 2021, Wilson’s tenure in Seattle came to an end after the quarterback was traded to the Denver Broncos. However, Wilson’s tenure in Denver wasn’t as successful, and he was released by Denver in 2024.
Once released, Wilson signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Through 11 games, Wilson helped Pittsburgh return to the playoffs before losing to the Baltimore Ravens in the wildcard round. After the season, Wilson signed with the New York Giants, before being replaced by first-round quarterback Jaxson Dart after four games. After the season, it was reported that Wilson suffered a torn hamstring in week 2.
Why Russell Wilson to the Jets makes sense
Despite his recent struggles, Wilson does have a decorated career. Through 15 seasons, Wilson has a career record of 121-80-1 as a starter. In addition, he’s accumulated nearly 47,000 passing yards along with 353 passing touchdowns to 114 interceptions. With a career completion percentage of 64.6%, Wilson had been an accurate passer over the years. Along with his 15 seasons of experience, Wilson started 17 playoff games over his career.
The Jets already have some familiarity with Wilson. When the quarterback was acquired by the Broncos, Mougey was in Denver’s front office during his tenure. Before coming to the Jets, Mougey served as the Broncos assistant general manager from 2022 to 2024. Another facet that could interest the Jets pursuit of Russell Wilson is his history with Geno Smith. The Jets new starting quarterback was Wilson’s backup for the first two seasons of Smith’s tenure in Seattle. In fact, it was Smith’s recommendation to consider pursuing Wilson.
Other Options at Backup Quarterback
As of this writing, the current quarterback room consists of Geno Smith, rookie Cade Klubnik, Brady Cook, and Bailey Zappe. Adding Wilson to the roster isn’t the worst idea, but his play has greatly diminished from his once Pro Bowl heights. New York needs to weigh their options.
One to consider could be the return of Tyrod Taylor. Taylor has served as the backup in MetLife Stadium for the past four seasons. Between his two separate tenures with the Giants and Jets, he’s been playing in New Jersey since 2021. Taylor has been well-regarded by his teammates and could help benefit Klubnik’s transition to the NFL as a potential long-term backup.
Another option is veteran Brett Rypien. Signing with the Denver Broncos as a UDFA in 2019, Rypien began his NFL career while Mougey was in Denver’s front office. While Rypien is the only free agent quarterback with starting experience under 30, he has only 11 games of playing experience under his belt. They could also consider free agent Cooper Rush as well. Rush had a rough first season in Baltimore, but he does have over 38 games played in his career. In addition, Rush was decent during his Dallas Cowboys tenure, filling in for Dak Prescott in 2024.
