ORLANDO, Fla. — In their search for a franchise quarterback, the New York Jets will work out Wyoming’s Josh Allen in the next week and don’t plan to have a private session with Southern California’s Sam Darnold.
Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan said Monday at the NFL meetings that the organization has had “quite a bit of exposure” to Darnold, and bringing in any player for a predraft workout is “no big shocker.”
New York traded up from the sixth overall spot to No. 3. Unlike acting owner Christopher Johnson, who the previous day pretty much affirmed a quarterback would be the choice, Maccagnan wasn’t dropping any hints.
“We acted a little early on it,” Maccagnan said of the deal with Indianapolis that also cost the Jets three second-round picks. “We felt good about our research, inquired with other teams … three is a position we’re comfortable being in. We feel very good about what may potentially be there at No. 3 and feel we can control our destiny.”
The price tag wasn’t too steep, either, Maccagnan emphasized, noting the Jets kept their 2019 first-rounder.
As for which of the top quarterback prospects the Jets might be targeting — UCLA’s Josh Rosen and Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield are considered the others — Maccagnan was mum.
Same with whether Penn State running back Saquon Barkley or North Carolina State defensive end Bradley Chubb, and everyone else in next month’s draft.
He did say the Jets spoke with Cleveland about the top spot, but not with their fellow owners of MetLife Stadium, the Giants, concerning the No. 2 position. While the Browns are widely expected to go for a quarterback, new Giants coach Pat Shurmur has thrown his support behind veteran Eli Manning. The Giants also could trade down, lifting a team with quarterback needs above the Jets.
Maccagnan isn’t losing sleep over that prospect, though he recognizes the need to find that franchise quarterback.
“Until you acquire that, you are constantly looking to find one,” he said. “Our focus is to identify and acquire one of those; it may be someone on the roster, or elsewhere.”
Currently on the roster are four quarterbacks: journeyman Josh McCown, who comes off a strong year shortened by a broken left hand in December; Teddy Bridgewater, signed in free agency in his comeback from a severe knee injury in Minnesota; and 2017 backups Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg.
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