Assuming that Fernando Mendoza is the No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick by the Las Vegas Raiders, the New York Jets will have to cross their fingers.
Dante Moore isn't a lock to come out of Oregon and enter the draft. He'd be the only clear QB2 in a class that isn't as strong as once thought.
If Moore stays in school, the Jets may have to pursue a different route at the quarterback position.
Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine suggests an outside the box option: Tua Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa has multiple years remaining on what was originally a $212 million contract with the Miami Dolphins. It'd be a fascinating intra-division trade.
Because it'd be a salary dump, the Jets in this projected trade actually also receive a second-round pick and cash while only giving up a fifth-round pick.
"For all of Tua Tagovailoa's faults, he is 44-32 as a starter," Ballentine writes. "Tagovailoa said he would be open to a fresh start after a season in which he ended on the bench. The only problem is that he's only one year into his four-year extension. The Jets are uniquely positioned to help the Dolphins out. They have $93.7 million in cap space, which is plenty to take on a significant portion of Tagovailoa's contract before cutting it in 2027 with little additional cost. That would help the Jets win now while adding to their draft pick stockpile and showing some creativity in navigating their rebuild under Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey."
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It would certainly be fascinating to see the Jets' leadership group put their futures in the hands of Tagovailoa.
It's hard to know if Tua could be good enough without a talented receiving corps, but maybe he needs the change of scenery more than anything else.
The narratives would be great if this happened, for sure.
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