The New York Jets have gotten their season back on track. Winners in their last two games against the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles, New York has evened their record up at 3-3 heading into their bye.
That is quite and impressive feat when taking into consideration the ups and downs this team has already gone through this season. Heading into Week 1, there was legitimate Super Bowl hope for the Jets with Aaron Rodgers as their starting quarterback. That hope lasted four plays as Rodgers tore his left Achilles against the Buffalo Bills.
Zach Wilson was called upon in relief, as the team was able to defeat the Bills. They then went on a three-game losing streak as Wilson performed at a level as poorly as ever. The Jets were reaching a valley that could have ended their season, but something clicked for Wilson against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Despite the loss, he played adequately throughout. He became the first quarterback to outperform Patrick Mahomes across the board, whether it was in high school, college or the NFL. Wilson has carried that over, as he isn’t turning the ball over and giving the Jets a chance to win games,
They took full advantage as their defense returned to the dominant unit many thought it would be. Heading into their bye, there is real optimism surrounding the team once again to be a playoff team.
The defense is certainly good enough to be more than early-round fodder; the question is whether Wilson can elevate his performance to another level to make them true contenders. Based on his track record, the answer would be no.
That is why so many people would love to see the Jets go out and make an upgrade at quarterback. One of those people is Mike Jones of The Athletic, who proposed a trade that would send Minnesota Vikings signal caller Kirk Cousins to the Jets.
Jones would like to see New York acquire Cousins in exchange for a 2024 third-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick. However, he does admit that the likelihood of a trade like that occurring is very low.
“It’s an insane long shot, because Cousins has a no-trade clause and because people familiar with the situation say the Vikings aren’t throwing in the towel on the season. But Minnesota would be smart to pull the trigger on a deal like this. Cousins is on an expiring contract, and little has gone right this year. Now that wide receiver Justin Jefferson is on injured reserve, the wins — already hard to come by — may be even tougher to accumulate. The 2-4 Vikings might as well get something for Cousins rather than lose him on the market next offseason.
As for the Jets: They would get an upgrade over Zach Wilson, and a quarterback familiar with Nathaniel Hackett’s system. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell is an extension of the Mike Shanahan coaching tree, as is Hackett, who coached under Matt LaFleur in Green Bay. LaFleur was Cousins’ quarterbacks coach in Washington. The Jets could force their way back into a playoff race with a high-level veteran quarterback to run the show for their talented roster.”
There are a lot of factors that go into this trade not being likely. For starters, Cousins has a no-trade clause he would likely exercise. Going to a new team in the middle of the season and learning a new system on the fly would be detrimental to his performance, negatively impacting his potential earnings this offseason.
New York has also been adamant they want to stick with Wilson. If the Jets didn’t make a move after the disastrous display he had during the losing streak, a change isn’t going to come during a winning streak with him playing well enough for the team to win games.
