Jets Now Have Every Reason to Try and Change Russell Wilson's Mind

The New York Jets are still trying to figure out who will become their QB2 behind Geno Smith for the 2026 season.

New York currently has three other quarterbacks on its 90-man roster in Cade Klubnik, Brady Cook, and Bailey Zappe. But none of those guys scream viable QB2. Last week, it was reported that veteran quarterback Russell Wilson could be an option as he visited with the Jets. However, those plans have been put on hold with Wilson reportedly getting interest from CBS' NFL Today pregame show.

If the Jets can’t land Wilson as their backup, they’ll be in a dicey situation. Some fans were holding out hope that Tyrod Taylor, who spent the last two years in New York, would return. But those dreams were crushed on Monday. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that Taylor is signing with the Green Bay Packers.

Veteran QB Tyrod Taylor is signing with the Packers, per source.

A new No. 2 in Green Bay. pic.twitter.com/FFPzhOBLbb
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 4, 2026

Immediately after the news, ESPN’s Rich Cimini and The New York Post’s Brian Costello pointed out that Taylor's return to the Jets didn’t seem all too likely.

Needless to say, the Jets are running out of backup options and time, and might need to make another pitch to Wilson to convince him to join them for this year.

Jets might need to turn up their backup QB pursuit of Russell Wilson

A potential Wilson signing doesn’t excite some within the Jets’ fanbase, and one can’t blame them considering what we’ve seen from the veteran quarterback over the last couple of years.

Last season with the New York Giants, Wilson completed 58 percent of his passes (career low) for 831 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions in six games (three starts). It was a far cry from what we saw from Wilson in Pittsburgh (63.7%, 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns, and five interceptions) in 2024.

However, the Jets wouldn’t be asking him to start. But rather be ready to go in case Smith gets hurt, and also provide rookie Cade Klubnik, a veteran to learn from. While the last few seasons haven’t gone to plan for Wilson, you can’t ignore how he played during the early portion of his career.

And if you’re the Jets, the options outside of Wilson aren’t great. Some of these guys don’t have Wilson’s resume and could be on the same tier as Zappe.

Other potential backup quarterback options that the Jets could pursue are:

Cooper Rush
Joshua Dobbs
Jimmy Garoppolo
Desmond Ridder

We couldn’t include Skylar Thompson on the list, whom the Baltimore Ravens signed on Monday, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.

That being said, the options aren’t plentiful for the Jets. Among the quarterbacks we listed, Rush and Dobbs might be considered the best of the rest and would be okay with backing Smith in this situation.

However, those guys have their limitations if asked to start. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see over the next couple of weeks whether the Jets can make any headway with Wilson. If they can’t, what is their backup plan?

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