Complex path led to Siemian rejoining Jets
The Jets have spent the past two weeks discussing what to do at backup quarterback, reaching out to veterans and hearing from others interested in joining the team.
That led to them signing Trevor Siemian to the practice squad on Tuesday.
So, how did the Jets get here? Through discussions with those familiar with the Jets’ plans and talks in recent weeks, here is how things played out.
The Jets entered the season with three quarterbacks. Aaron Rodgers and Zach Wilson were on the active roster and Tim Boyle was on the practice squad. When Rodgers went down on Sept. 11 against the Bills, there was obviously a state of shock throughout the organization and discussion about how to proceed.
The Jets were happy with the way Wilson played in the win over the Bills. He went 14-of-21 for 140 yards with one touchdown and one interception and played well enough for the Jets to win 22-16. This came after he had not even practiced as the starter.
The Jets wanted to add a veteran quarterback to the practice squad so they would have three quarterbacks. The trouble was finding one. The team reached out to recently retired Chad Henne, who played under offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett in Jacksonville, but he was not interested. They considered signing Brett Rypien, who played for Hackett in Denver last year, off of the Rams’ practice squad but Los Angeles signed him to its active roster.
They also talked to Colt McCoy, who wanted to be on the active roster and not the practice squad. Around this same time, they talked with Siemian for the first time but he was mulling other options.
The Jets did not want to go down the route of signing a big-name quarterback like a Carson Wentz or Matt Ryan, who both reached out to the team, because they knew that could create a quarterback controversy and they wanted Wilson to have the best chance to succeed.
The Jets decided to stand pat until they could find the right option. Urgency grew this week after the loss to the Patriots, and Siemian reached out to see if the Jets were still interested.
Siemian came to New Jersey on Tuesday, passed his physical and signed onto the practice squad.
“He’s obviously got a lot of games under his belt, he’s a quick learner, quick study from my understanding, and just giving him the ability to come on to the practice squad and help us out was the best decision for us,” coach Robert Saleh said Wednesday.
Siemian will not be active against the Chiefs this week, but could be activated next week against Denver if he picks up the playbook quickly. Siemian said there is carryover from the system he played in last year with the Bears. His offensive coordinator there, Luke Getsy, worked with Hackett for three seasons in Green Bay.
“Some different things here and there, but it’s not my first time learning a new system,” Siemian said. “I think as a backup quarterback these are some of the things you get used to pretty quickly.”
Siemian said the Jets did not tell him anything about playing time.
“I didn’t have a lot of expectations,” Siemian said. “No promises were given or anything like that. These guys have two quarterbacks. They needed a third quarterback. I had some good conversations and here I am excited to get to work.”