PHOENIX — There has been some thought that the Jets should pivot to Lamar Jackson if things don’t work out with Aaron Rodgers or to put a scare into the Packers to make something happen.
Jets general manager Joe Douglas put an end to that discussion on Monday at the league meetings.
“First of all, Lamar Jackson is a fantastic player,” Douglas said. “But where we stand is it would be disingenuous and operating, negotiating in bad faith if we went down the path. Right now, we have our plan, we have our process and we’re sticking to that.”
The Jets’ plan of course is to trade for Rodgers. Without saying specifically that’s the plan, Douglas said the Jets are not moving away from Plan A yet.
Joe Douglas put an end to the Lamar Jackson conversation in New York.AP
Lamar JacksonAP“We’re staying on our path that we’re on right now,” Douglas said. “We’re never going to operate in bad faith.”
The Ravens applied the franchise tag to Jackson, meaning teams are free to negotiate with him.
On Monday, Jackson revealed he has asked for a trade.
If he does switch teams, don’t count on the Jets being where he lands.
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 really still think Zach has a future in this league to be a really good quarterback. He has the work ethic. He has the mindset. He’s coming in here to attack it. We’re counting on him to be a fixture here for a while.”
Zach WilsonBill Kostroun/New York PostDouglas 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.
“That was a tough decision because obviously Elijah is a really good player and a young player and on a cap-friendly deal,” Douglas said. “I think it was just a situation that came up where we had a flood of calls, nothing really serious. Cleveland was aggressive in their pursuit. Ultimately, we felt like this was an opportunity to bring value that we needed back to the team and back to the draft while also giving Elijah a great opportunity in Cleveland.”
Douglas provided a small update on where things stand with a contract extension for DT Quinnen Williams.
“There’s been a few conversations since I last spoke to you guys at the combine,” Douglas said. “I would say we’re in a positive place there. No exact timeline for when that’s going to get done but I’ve had good conversations with [agent] Nicole [Lynn] and still feel like that’s in a positive place.”
