Jets GM: Drafting QB still an ‘option’
Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan added a quarterback this week, and he is not ruling out adding another in next month’s NFL Draft.
Maccagnan held a conference call with reporters Friday and discussed Josh McCown, whom the Jets signed to a one-year, $6 million deal, and the possibility of taking a quarterback in the draft.
The third-year general manager was asked if he would sign another veteran quarterback to join McCown, Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty.
“I think it would be highly unlikely,” Maccagnan said. “The next place we would potentially add a quarterback would potentially be through the draft.”
Maccagnan said “all options” are on the table when it comes to quarterback. The Jets already have been linked with some of the top quarterbacks in the draft. They have a private workout scheduled with North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky. They already had one with Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer, according to NFL Network.
Maccagnan would not say whether McCown will enter the spring offseason program as the starting quarterback, deferring to coach Todd Bowles on that question. He did make it sound as if Hackenberg and Petty will have a chance to compete for the starting job.
“I think all three of those guys will have opportunities both in the offseason and in training camp to kind of go out there and show where they’re at,” Maccagnan said.
Maccagnan praised McCown’s intangibles, saying the Jets believe the 37-yearold will help them both on and off the field.
“We looked at a lot of different quarterbacks in the pro free-agency market,” Maccagnan said. “Josh was a player who we liked through the process. We have some history with him, from people in our building.
“We know what his strengths are, from an intangibles standpoint. We think he’s a very good veteran, from a character and leadership standpoint, to add to our group in our building. We still think he has the ability to play and perform on the field, from a talent standpoint. When it was all said and done, we felt very good about adding him to our mix and our room.”
Maccagnan reiterated his stance that he would like to trade back in the draft and acquire more picks, something he said at the Scouting Combine earlier this month.
“Yes, and hopefully you guys can keep advertising that for me,” Maccagnan said jokingly. “We definitely are interested in ideally acquiring more picks. That doesn’t mean we’re looking to shop every pick.
“We actually feel pretty good about the sixth pick in the draft right now, in terms of where we’re slotted. I do think there will be some good options there for us potentially if we stay put.”
The Jets have until May 3 to exercise safety Calvin Pryor’s fifth-year option for 2018, and Maccagnan would not say if they would do so.
“Those are things that will work themselves out in time,” Maccagnan said. “I would say at this point in time, that’s not something I want to weigh in and comment on.”
The non-answer was telling. It sounds like Pryor could be a goner after this season.
Maccagnan danced around the topic of whether defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson will be on the team in 2017. The expectation is the Jets will try to trade him before the draft.
“Sheldon’s under contract,” Maccagnan said. “I would say simply any time there is an option that would potentially help the team we’ll weigh all those options as they come before us.”