NEW YORK — The NFL scouting combine, which takes place in Indianapolis this week, is when many NFL teams start to make decisions regarding the upcoming season - including who is a part of the team's future, and who might be on the way out.
For the New York Jets, the big question is who will be under center when the season gets going in September - and their top two options right now are veterans Aaron Rodgers and Derek Carr.
Rodgers emerged from his darkness retreat without revealing whether he intends to continue his professional career this season, putting both the Jets and the Green Bay Packers in a tough position while they wait for some kind of decision from the future Hall of Famer.
The only team currently known to have interest in the 39-year-old is New York, and Locked on Jets podcast host John Butchko thinks it might be time to move on, especially if the asking price remains high.
"It's one thing to take on a bad contract, it's another thing to give up premium resources to take on a bad contract," Butchko said. "It's a little easier to live with taking on a bad contract if you don't give up much."
Part of the reason the Jets can't afford to wait for a decision from Rodgers is the potential loss of Carr, who made it clear he wants to get a deal done as soon as possible.
"The worst thing that could happen for the Jets is they let Rodgers string this thing out, Carr goes off the market, and Rodgers thinks he has leverage," Butchko continued. "We don't even know how interested Rodgers is in coming to the Jets."
New York's trio of Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco, and Mike White combined to throw 14 touchdowns and 14 interceptions last season.
A veteran addition is clearly going to help the Jets in 2023, regardless of whether they get Rodgers or Carr. Missing out on both, and scrambling for a mid-tier free agent or a rookie via the draft, almost certainly lowers this team's ceiling next year.