New York Jets Should Call Tennessee Titans And Ask About Ryan Tannehill

The worst-kept secret in the NFL is that the New York Jets desperately need a new quarterback. Zach Wilson is playing like ... well, like Zach Wilson. Many people think the team should pursue Kirk Cousins. But, there's another veteran who makes sense: Tennessee Titans starter Ryan Tannehill.

Let me be clear: if the Jets can swing a Kirk Cousins trade with the Minnesota Vikings, they should prioritize that move. Cousins is a better quarterback than Tannehill right now. Plus, his experience with Justin Jefferson would help the team unlock budding superstar Garrett Wilson.

However, I hesitate to think the Vikings are ready to punt this season. Yes, they started 0-3. But, they won 13 games last season. Plus, they play in a very winnable division and in a very winnable conference. They have some difficult upcoming games before their schedule lightens considerably.

Are the Vikings really going to turn their season over to backup quarterback Nick Mullens? I don't think they are ready to do that. Head coach Kevin O'Connell is coming off his first season at the helm where his team suffered an embarrassing Wild Card round playoff exit. He wants to prove that they can put that behind them.

Why the New York Jets trading for Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill makes sense for Tennessee

The Tennessee Titans sit in a rather similar position to the Vikings, albeit with several key differences. They also play in a very winnable division, but not in a very winnable conference. They won seven games last season and missed the playoffs. Even with Tannehill, there's a good chance they're going to miss the playoffs again this season.

Plus, they have a 2022 third-round pick, Malik Willis, backing up Tannehill. Then, there's Will Levis, their second-round pick from this year's NFL Draft. The Titans, presumably, have young players that they want to see. Willis struggled last season and the team benched him in favor of journeyman Josh Dobbs.

Tennessee Titans appear ready to move on from quarterback Ryan Tannehill and the New York Jets are a perfect landing spot. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

However, they raved about his offseason, training camp and preseason. They did not give him very much time last season, so they might want to take another look. If he struggles again, they can give Will Levis a long look, too. They might determine that neither is the future.

In that case, Tennessee might be in position to get into that #1 pick conversation. Even without Cousins, I'm not sure the Vikings roster is bad enough to get there.

Tennessee's roster, on the other hand, is another story. Based on the numbers, the Titans are among the NFL's ten worst teams. Their offense AND defense are both well below average.

Again, this is WITH Ryan Tannehill.

It's no secret that Tennessee plans to move on from Tannehill after this season. He's on the last year of his deal and the team picked quarterbacks in back-to-back NFL Drafts, both on Day 2.

The Vikings expect to move on from Cousins, but that's not set in stone. Again, his backup is Nick Mullens. Minnesota might make a move for the future in the offseason, but they haven't yet.

The Titans already did that.

Why the potential trade makes sense for the Jets

Tannehill is much better than Zach Wilson, despite struggling early this season. He can still move around and that helps with an offensive line that has question marks.

Plus, Tannehill showed he was much better when he had a go-to wide receiver. DeAndre Hopkins, at 31-years-old, doesn't appear to be that guy anymore. Treylon Burks, who the team spent a high draft pick on, doesn't have the look of someone who's capable of ever holding that mantle.

When Tannehill had A.J. Brown to throw the ball to, the Titans offense functioned much better. According to Stat Muse, he had a passer rating of 104.6 with 9,000 yards, 70 touchdowns and 24 interceptions in 39 games with Brown in the lineup.

Conversely, he has a passer rating of 88.6 with 4,379 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 21 Titans games without A.J. Brown on the field. That's a dramatic downturn.

Brown created space for Derrick Henry to operate, which made the entire offensive unit work more consistently. The New York Jets have Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall -- two guys who can play the roles that Brown and Henry did for Tannehill.

The Jets need a quarterback to get the ball to Garrett Wilson and current Titans QB Ryan Tannehill can do just that. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

In addition, Tannehill has a winning pedigree, though not in the playoffs. Although he did lead the team to the 2020 AFC Championship, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. The team went 33-10 in the regular season between 2020 and 2021, winning two AFC South titles while capturing the AFC's #1 overall seed in 2021.

Unlike the Vikings, who have a second-year head coach eager to prove himself, the Titans head coach, Mike Vrabel, is a Coach of the Year winner in his sixth season. He's likely not going anywhere.

The cost to acquire Tannehill probably isn't very high, either. And with his expiring contract, the Jets can easily move on next season if Aaron Rodgers is able to return.

The Jets trading for Ryan Tannehill makes almost too much sense, for both teams.