PHOENIX – There has been speculation that the Jets should turn to Lamar Jackson if things don’t work out with Aaron Rodgers or scare the Packers into making something happen.
Jets general manager Joe Douglas put an end to that debate Monday at the league meetings.
“First of all, Lamar Jackson is a fantastic player,” Douglas said. “But where we are, it would be senseless and dysfunctional if we were to go down the path of negotiating in bad ways. Right now, we have our plan, we have our process and we are sticking to it.”
The Jets’ plan, of course, is to trade Rodgers. Without saying exactly that’s the plan, Douglas said the Jets aren’t moving away from Plan A just yet.
Joe Douglas ended the interview with Lamar Jackson in New York.AP
Lamar JacksonAP
“We’re continuing on the path we’re on now,” Douglas said. “We will never operate in bad faith.”
The Ravens applied the franchise tag to Jackson, meaning teams are free to trade him.
On Monday, it was reported that Jackson has requested a trade.
If he does change teams, don’t bet he’s where the Jets land him.
Jets coach Robert Saleh confirmed that Zach Wilson will be the team’s backup quarterback this season.
“He’s our No. 2,” Saleh said. “I still think Zach has a future to be a very good quarterback in this league. He’s got the work ethic. He’s got the mindset. He’s coming here to attack. We’re counting on him to be a fixer here for a while.”
Zach WilsonBill Kostroun/New York Post
Douglas commented on last week’s trade of WR Elijah Moore to the Browns. The Jets sent Moore and a third-round pick to Cleveland for the Browns’ second round pick.
“It was obviously a tough decision because Elijah is a very good player and a young player and he has a cap deal,” Douglas said. “I think it was just a situation where we had a flood of calls, nothing serious. Cleveland was aggressive in their pursuit. At the end of the day, we felt like this was an opportunity to give back to the team and provide the value we needed in the draft by giving them a great opportunity in Elijah Cleveland.”
Douglas gave a small update on DT Quinn’s Williams contract extension.
“There have been a few conversations since I last talked to you guys at the combine,” Douglas said. “I would say we are in a positive place there. No word on when that will happen, but I’ve had good conversations with (agent) Nicole (Lynn) and I still think that is in a positive place”.