What do the New York Jets have left to play for?

What are the New York Jets even playing for at this point? Some of Todd Bowles choices at this stage of the season are head-scratchers from the outside.

The New York Jets are a team stuck in an odd position. Head coach Todd Bowles is a competitor, not willing to simply go down with a sinking ship and look ahead to the offseason with several games left on the schedule. His competitive fire (and potential job insecurity) keep the Jets fighting each and every week.

Those decisions extend to the team’s choice of quarterback. Instead of rolling with former second round choice Christian Hackenberg, the team keeps starting 37-year-old Josh McCown—a decision that they’re apparently sticking with even at 4-7 and the playoffs only a rare mathematical possibility at this stage.

We recently reached out to Paul Esden of Elite Sports NY to find out more about what the Jets are still fighting for and why we’re not seeing younger quarterbacks at this stage.

Why would Todd Bowles choose to go with Josh McCown at this point in the season?

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There’s a conflicting narrative on 1 Jets Drive. The team at 4-7 is on life support for the playoffs, but technically they haven’t been eliminated so the Jets are going to play the guy who gives them the best chance to win. For head coach Todd Bowles that means Josh McCown. Before this season Bowles was very much on the hot seat and if he turned to the bullpen (Bryce Petty or Christian Hackenberg) he’d be waving the white flag on the season.

So here’s the conflicting narrative: the Jets brass wants to suck so they can get the best draft pick possible. While Bowles wants to save his job by being competitive and winning as many games as possible. That wouldn’t happen with a younger gun, so Bowles is forced to go with McCown until he can’t anymore.

Do you think the Jets are missing out if they don’t give some reps to Christian Hackenberg or another young option?

I know what Bryce Petty is at this point. He came out of a gimmicky offense at Baylor and has shown some intangibles but simply doesn’t have the goods to succeed in the pros. So I don’t care if he doesn’t get any reps the rest of the way.

Christian Hackenberg is a different story. This is a guy the Jets drafted in the second round. He’s the first quarterback in a long time that was drafted in the first two rounds and hasn’t seen the field yet. There’s a sense of mystery about what this guy can do certainly, but if he isn’t playing there has to be something critically wrong. So wrong that a dysfunctional quarterback developing team doesn’t even want to kick the tires on a second round pick investment. That’s sad and depressing.

I think they’re missing out because what do the Jets have to lose by playing the youngster. Players are judged by the regular season, not practice or preseason. Let the kid play…eventually.

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