Jets GM says team unlikely to add another veteran QB

It appears Josh McCown will be the lone veteran in the New York Jets’ quarterbacks room this summer.

The Jets might add yet another youngster, but whether McCown is the starter when the season begins remains to be seen.

General manager Mike Maccagnan said during a conference call Friday that it’s “highly unlikely” the Jets will bring in another experienced QB after signing McCown on Monday. While he added that “you never want to say never,” Maccagnan said any potential additional quarterback to the roster would likely come through the draft.

“We looked at a lot of different quarterbacks,” Maccagnan said of free agency. “Josh was a player who we liked through the process. We have some history with him, from people in our building. So, we know what his strengths are, in terms of an intangibles standpoint. We think he’s a very good veteran, from a character and leadership standpoint, to add to our group.”

Maccagnan believes the 37-year-old McCown has “good football left in him.” He declined to say whether McCown would enter training camp as the starter over the inexperienced Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg, deferring to coach Todd Bowles.

“All three of those guys will have an opportunity,” Maccagnan said, “both in the offseason and training camp, to kind of go out there and show where they’re at.”

While it’s possible the Jets could carry four QBs on their roster, as they did last season, Maccagnan acknowledged that most teams would ideally prefer to have three.

McCown signed a oneyear deal for $6 million fully guaranteed, but the contract includes a potential $7 million in additional incentives including $2 million in playing bonuses ($125,000 for each game playing at least 50 percent snaps) and $5 million in playoff/Super Bowl bonuses.

When asked whether New York was interested in Colin Kaepernick, Maccagnan said the Jets “vetted all quarterbacks, and I don’t think we ruled anybody out,” but believed McCown was the best option. The Jets had some interest in Jay Cutler and Mike Glennon, and had Chase Daniel in for a visit.

“When it was all said and done, I think Josh fit from a system standpoint in what we do,” Maccagnan said of McCown. long term solution behind center. General manager Ryan Pace did not pick a quarterback in his first two drafts even though he talked about taking one every year when he was hired.