Quarterback Christian Hackenberg and Defensive Lineman Sheldon Richardson break down Jets minicamp and their expectations for the season.

Jets head coach Todd Bowles insinuated the team's starting QB is job still up for grabs, noting Thursday that there is currently no frontrunner.

The Jets, who are expected to turn to Josh McCown as their starter, have also been giving reps to Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty.

McCown, 37, signed a one-year deal worth $6 million this offseason.

Despite evidence to the contrary, Jets quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates has been impressed with Christian Hackenberg's passing in minicamp, according to Daniel Popper of the New York Daily News. 

Bates, who previously coached the team's quarterbacks in 2005, likes the precision of Hackenberg's passes thus far at camp. 

Jets QB Christian Hackenberg has been making lots of awful throws this spring -- first during OTAs and again on Tuesday when minicamp began.

A few of the team's beat writers tweeted during OTAs that Hackenberg had been hitting those on the sidelines with errant throws. On Tuesday at minicamp, one of those throws was filmed...

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It doesn't seem to make any sense that the Jets are rebuilding and going with young players at every position, but they will almost certainly be led by a 38-year-old quarterback. Everywhere else, the Jets purged their roster of veterans so the young players could get an unimpeded opportunity.

Yet McCown, who has no viable future with the Jets beyond this season, still stands in second-year pro Christian Hackenberg's way.

Jets quarterback Josh McCown said he has been working with younger quarterbacks Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty in the team's mandatory minicamp this week.

The veteran 37-year-old, who signed a one-year deal with the Jets this off-season, said Hackenberg and Petty have often asked him questions as they continue to learn the quarterback position.

Bent, theJetsBlog.com

Projected starter: Josh McCown

Projected back-ups: Christian Hackenberg, Bryce Petty

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FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Even with the Jets in full rebuilding mode -- or "tank" mode, depending on your interpretation -- it's still likely that 38-year-old Josh McCown will emerge as the starting quarterback on Opening Day. Christian Hackenberg's time is coming, but it'll probably have to wait a little longer.

Whenever it comes, though, the former second-round pick insists he's ready to play.

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FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - He appears to be the third man in a two-man quarterback fight that might not turn into much of a fight at all. It's hard to completely predict how the Jets' summer quarterback battle will turn out, but one thing seems certain: Bryce Petty doesn't have much of a chance.

Don't try telling that to the 26-year-old Petty, though. He may not be the newly signed veteran, nor is he the second-round pick who they hope is the quarterback of the future. But he is the only QB on the roster who actually played quarterback for the Jets last season.

And if that makes him the underdog … well, he doesn't quite understand how.

The Jets have been pleased with QB Christian Hackenberg's performance so far this spring, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

Hackenberg is in the mix with Bryce Petty and newly acquired veteran, Josh McCown, for the Jets starting quarterback position. Offensive coordinator John Morton told NJ.com that the QBs will be "getting the same amount of reps [with the starters] throughout the week." 

Hackenberg, a second-round pick by the Jets in 2016, has yet to see the field in regular season play. 

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - On the first day of spring practice, the Jets' presumed quarterback of the future was relegated to a far field to work with the third-stringers, while a 37-year-old journeyman got the first-team snaps on the main field. That's probably the way it'll be when training camp opens this summer.

But not definitely, because the Jets continue to insist that their quarterback depth chart is subject to change.

As they have all offseason long, the Jets insisted again on Tuesday that their quarterback competition will be wide open this year, and new offensive coordinator John Morton promised the three quarterbacks will all get reps with the first-team offense. On Day 1, Josh McCown got all the first-team snaps and Bryce Petty worked mostly with the second team, while off in the distance Christian Hackenberg worked with everyone else.

Jets QB Christian Hackenberg is more confident and comfortable heading in to his second season with the team, he said Monday, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.

Hackenberg, who will battle with Josh McCown and Bryce Petty for the starting job, said he's excited about the opportunity.

Jets head coach Todd Bowles said earlier this offseason that there will be an open competition for the starting quarterback job...

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The Jets have seemingly been searching for a franchise quarterback since Joe Namath was wearing green. So it's no surprise that Namath doesn't want to see them waste any more time in their search.

The Jets legend made it clear that he wants to see Christian Hackenberg emerge as the starting quarterback for his old team this season, not the soon-to-be-38-year-old Josh McCown. Speaking before the United Way's Gridiron Gala in Manhattan on Tuesday night, Namath said he understands why the coaches might go with McCown.

But he said if there's a chance the 22-year-old Hackenberg is the future, then the future has to be now...

Former Jets quarterback Michael Vick, who doesn't know which quarterback will get the starting job this season, is not optimistic on the Jets' chances this year.

"Man, good luck," Vick said to Andy Vasquez of NorthJersey.com with a laugh. "I don't even know who the quarterback is going to be. Good luck. I know there's three of them."

The Jets do have three quarterbacks under contract, and will hold an open competition throughout training camp to determine who will be the starter. The team signed veteran Josh McCown to battle against youngsters Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv

Jets fans have endured more than their fair share of pain over the years. Too many losses. Too many broken promises. Too much unfulfilled potential.

Unfortunately it looks like a lot more pain is on its way in the 2017 season, as the Jets embark on what sure looks like a complete rebuilding of the franchise. The best advice to Jets fans might be: Be patient.

New York Jets great Joe Namath is rooting for Christian Hackenberg to win the quarterback competition the team will hold during training camp for the starting job.

"I'd like to see Hackenberg get a shot, and I'd like to see him win the job," Namath told Bob Glauber of Newsday Tuesday at the BTIG Charity Day event in New York. "That would give us the [hope of], 'Hey, lookie here. Maybe we don't do it this year, but boy, we'll get ready next year. We'll get ready the year after that.' "

Hackenberg, last year's second round pick, will compete with the recently signed veteran Josh McCown and third-year QB Bryce Petty for the starting position. The second-year QB out of Penn State did not play a single down last season.

There is no doubt who the biggest winner was in the 2017 draft for the Jets. No one had a better three days than Christian Hackenberg.

Once thought to be the Jets possible Quarterback of the Future, he apparently still is after the Jets avoided the Quarterback Class of 2017 with all of their nine draft picks over the three days of the NFL draft. That wasn't a guarantee, either. They heavily scouted the top ones, and all of them except for North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky were available when they made the sixth overall pick.

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Jets GM Mike Maccagnan has spent a lot of time this offseason looking at the quarterbacks in this draft. But that isn't necessarily unusual. In fact, he said, the Jets "feel pretty good" about the quarterbacks they already have.

"We have the two young guys (Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty) and we like both of them in terms of ability and potential," the Jets GM said during his pre-draft press briefing on Monday. "We feel pretty good about the guys we have."

That hasn't stopped him from looking, of course, and at least considering the possibility of the Jets drafting a quarterback with the No. 6 overall pick. They have scouted the top quarterbacks in the draft heavily this offseason and many believe the Jets will take one in that spot...

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For the first time in three years, Muhammad Wilkerson showed up for the start of the New York Jets' offseason training program.

The big defensive lineman was pictured at the Jets facility in Florham Park, New Jersey, on Monday morning, as the team officially kicked off its voluntary workouts. Last year, Wilkerson declined to participate because he wasn't happy with being tagged as the Jets "franchise player." He skipped them in 2015 as he hoped to pressure the Jets to give him a new deal.

The Jets are bringing in North Carolina QB Mitch Trubisky for a visit today, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.

Trubisky is widely regarded as the top quarterback prospect in this year's NFL Draft.

The Jets have made their interest in Trubisky known over the last month. New York sent a large contingent of scouts for the quarterback's pro day, and followed it up with a private workout in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Corey Griffin and Brian Bassett are back (and on time) with a new podcast, as they sort through all of the Todd Bowles comments from the NFL Owners Meetings. They also discuss the apparent QB competition, if Christian Hackenberg truly has a Jets future, what the NFL Draft may deliver, and the search for hope on the current roster. 

Click below to listen!

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The Jets will have a private workout with University of North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky on Thursday, according to a report from the NY Post.

One day after signing veteran quarterback Josh McCown last week, the Jets' search for their quarterback of the future continued in Chapel Hill, N.C., when they attended North Carolina's Pro Day to watch Trubisky. A group of scouts and coaches -- reportedly including new quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates -- were in attendance.

The Jets currently are slated to pick sixth in the upcoming NFL draft and Trubisky and Clemson's Deshaun Watson are the only quarterbacks most NFL scouts and talent evaluators consider to be potential Top 10 picks. Some don't think any of the quarterbacks are Top 10 worthy, which means they could be available if the Jets decide to trade down.

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PHOENIX - Todd Bowles has declared he will hold an "open competition" at quarterback this summer between the three quarterbacks on his roster, and maybe even a fourth one from the draft. He did not promise veteran Josh McCown the job when the Jets signed him, and he wouldn't say his experience gives him any edge.

All of them will have an equal shot to be the Jets' Opening Day starter. And that's the right approach. It's also the only thing the Jets coach could do.

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One year after using a second-round pick on quarterback Christian Hackenberg, Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan said he "potentially" could draft a quarterback again. And no, he insisted, that wouldn't mean he's admitting a mistake on Hackenberg.

It would just be another step in the long process of finding "the right quarterback for this team."

"I don't think taking a player at one position is a referendum on another player," Maccagnan said on a conference call with reporters on Friday afternoon. "I think the goal is to put together best roster you can. Of course quarterback is a very, very important position in this process. But I wouldn't necessarily view it as a referendum."

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv

Josh McCown is not the New York Jets' quarterback of the future, but neither were any of the other quarterbacks available on the free-agent market. There was no ideal answer to the Jets' biggest question.

But McCown is the perfect player to get them closer to the answers they need.

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The No. 1 priority for the Jets heading into this offseason was unquestionably to find a quarterback. Nothing else came close. Without a quarterback, nothing else really mattered. The Jets were desperate.

Or so we all thought.

Free agent QB Josh McCown will visit the Jets on Friday and Saturday, SNY's Ralph Vacchiano confirmed. 

McCown, 37, recently visited with the Cowboys.

He completed 90 passes for 165 yards with six touchdowns and six interceptions in five games last season for the Browns...

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The Jets don't seem to be in any hurry to figure out their starting quarterback for 2017 and they are "considering all options," according to a source. At the moment there are many. None of them are great.

But Jay Cutler does appear to be up near the top of their list.

The Jets have called to express interest in free agent QB Jay Cutler, who was released by the Bears last week, reports SNY's Ralph Vacchiano.

Cutler, 33, completed 81 of 137 passes for 1,059 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions in five games last season for the Bears while dealing with two separate injuries.

He threw for 3,659 yards in 2015 to go along with 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

LATEST UPDATE: Brian Hoyer will reportedly sign a two-year deal with the 49ers on Thursday, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports. 

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.TV

The Jets know they absolutely need to find a franchise quarterback at some point - a young, talented player who they can build around for the next 5 or hopefully 10-plus years.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.TV:

Players always talk about the non-financial intangibles when they enter free agency, about their desire to find the right situation and play for a winner. But the truth about free agency often is this: Money talks.

Still, the real top players in the market sometimes have choices to make when the money is close, and that's where things could get interesting for Mike Maccagnan and the New York Jets. He's got the money to spend to begin the makeover his roster (approximately $37 million in cap space and maybe more to come). But if his top targets end up with multiple, lucrative options, does the Jets GM have the rest of the package to lure those players to New York?

It could be an interesting question right off the bat with a report already emerging that the Chicago Bears are ready to battle the Jets for free-agent quarterback Mike Glennon. Not that the Bears are in great shape -- they're coming off a 3-13 season and have missed the playoffs the last six seasons just like the Jets. Maybe Glennon, or any player, could make the argument that the Jets are the more attractive spot between the two.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.TV

INDIANAPOLIS -- The New York Jets have already set their sights on some of the free-agent quarterbacks, and not many scouts think they'd find an instant starter near the top of the NFL draft anyway.

But the Jets sure are doing their due diligence, just in case.

The have either had or scheduled formal interviews with several of the top quarterbacks in the NFL draft as of Friday. The list included North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky, Clemson's Deshaun Watson. Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes, Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer, Pittsburgh's Nate Peterman and Tennessee's Josh Dobbs. All of them confirmed their interviews with the Jets when they met the media at the NFL scouting combine Friday afternoon.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY:

INDIANAPOLIS - There's no guarantee that the Jets will find their quarterback of the future in free agency, but head coach Todd Bowles made it clear that they're at least going to try.

Bowles said the Jets are "looking into" the quarterbacks on the free agent market and have a few they are considering pursuing. That matches what a team source has told SNY: That the Jets are far more interested in the free agent quarterbacks than they are in the quarterbacks in the draft.

"We're looking into it," Bowles said on Thursday morning when asked if the Jets intend to sign a free agent quarterback. "I can't say we will or we won't. Once free agency starts I don't know what's going to happen. Things may get crazy. But we have our eye on a few people."

QB Colin Kaepernick will be opting out of the remainder of his contract with the 49ers, his agents informed the league on Tuesday, according to Ian Rapaport of NFL.com.

Kaepernick, 29, completed 196 of 331 passes for 2,241 yards while throwing 16 touchdowns and four interceptions in 12 games for the 49ers last season.

He also rushed 69 times for 468 yards and two touchdowns.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY:

The Jets haven't begun to clear the salary cap room they need to be active in free agency, so it remains to be seen just how active they will be. But they'll have to do something when the signing period opens on March 9 because they have plenty of needs.

So what will they do? Last week, I took a look at five free agents who could (or should) be on the Jets' radar at several positions. This week, I'll focus on the most important position -- quarterback. The Jets will likely at least look for a quarterback-of-the-future on the market. Whether they sign one might depend on the price.

The NFL offseason may be off to a slow start, but things are surely about to pick up with cuts and contract restructures on their way, and with the scouting combine just two weeks away.

With that in mind, here is our weekly look at some of the biggest questions facing the Jets, what's new about them, where they stand on finding an answer, and if any of the issues have changed.

1. Who is their quarterback?

They of course haven't answered this yet, but they did answer who'll be coaching the quarterbacks: new offensive coordinator John Morton and new quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates. Neither has an extensive resume at their current positions -- or really working with quarterbacks -- which is interesting if they're going to be entrusted with developing a young quarterback.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv

The Ryan Fitzpatrick Era was never supposed to happen for the Jets, and it certainly never was expected to last two roller-coaster seasons. In the end, though, it was a wild ride that rescued a franchise in one of its darkest moments before leading it back into the darkness again.

For better or for worse, the Fitzpatrick Era officially ended on Friday when the contract that the 34-year-old quarterback signed last summer automatically voided. All that's left is a $5 million cap hit the Jets must endure during the 2017 season. And memories - more than a few good ones, and plenty of bad.

So was it worth it? That all depends on your perspective, how much your sights are set on the Jets' long-term future, and how much you value all the fun that was had in 2015 during the Jets' near-playoff-miss.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY:

Each week, SNY will put a current player, a position, or perhaps a draft or free agent target of the Jets in the spotlight as part of our regular offseason coverage. This week we begin with one of the potential quarterback options for the Jets -- and one with ties to their brand new quarterbacks coach:

QB Jay Cutler.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY:

Now that the Super Bowl is over, the New York Jets can begin cleaning up the wreckage from their 5-11 season and start yet another rebuilding project. Despite being on the cusp of the playoffs a year ago, they seem farther away than ever now.

With that in mind, here are some of the biggest questions the Jets must answer this offseason. We'll check back in each week to see how they're doing, whether any of the questions have been answered, and whether any have changed:

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv

The New York Jets found a big piece to their offensive puzzle when they finally hired an offensive coordinator on Tuesday. But nothing they do really matters until they find a quarterback -- which remains the biggest piece of all.

That piece is going to be the real key to the success of John Morton, whom the Jets hired as offensive coordinator. Morton has never been a coordinator in the NFL, though he held that position at USC from 2009 to 2010. He was a wide receivers coach in San Francisco from 2011 to 2014 and again in New Orleans for the past two years.

It's somewhat alarming that he's never called plays in the NFL, but it's really surprising that the Jets had to go with an inexperienced coordinator to replace veteran Chan Gailey, who retired after two seasons on the job. The Jets' job wasn't exactly an attractive one, considering head coach Todd Bowles enters the 2017 season on the hot seat and the Jets don't have an obvious quarterback

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY:

It has been 48 years and two weeks since the Jets shook up the world and changed the NFL with their victory in Super Bowl III, and they have since taken their fans on a long, depressing and at times torturous run. It's been so painful at times that it's easy to forget the Jets went to back-to-back AFC championship games just six years ago.

Of course, since then they've brought the pain: Six straight seasons without a playoff berth, only one season with a winning record, and it was all capped off by a miserable 5-11 season that felt worse since the Jets had so much optimism after going 10-6 in 2015.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv

The Jets dismal 5-11 season left them heading into an offseason of uncertainty with a high draft pick and seemingly little hope. At the moment, there are far more questions about their plans and the future than there are acceptable answers.

But since you asked, I'll give it a shot anyway in the first offseason edition of my SNY Jets Twitter mailbag. Part I ran on Wednesday. Here, as promised, is Part II:

If we do select a qb in draft. Do we sign a vet and go with 4? Or who gets the out? -- @wendo2000

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY:

The Jets still don't know who their quarterback will be when the 2017 season begins, but the consensus inside their front office seems to be that whoever it is didn't finish the 2016 season on the roster. Their quarterback of the immediate future, at least, is likely to come from the outside.

Just who that will be is still unknown, and there are many options being considered, according to team sources. There is a lot of internal support for Mike Glennon, the 27-year-old Bucs backup who will become a free agent on March 9. But even if he emerges as the object of the Jets' desire, he could be prohibitively expensive. The Bills, Browns and 49ers all figure to be in the market for a quarterback. Maybe a few other teams, too, like the Bears.

The Jets are expected to have interest in Buccaneers backup quarterback Mike Glennon, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini.

Glennon, 27, is an unrestricted free agent after playing behind Jamesis Winston the last two seasons in Tampa Bay.

As a starter, Glennon has a career record of 5-13.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY:

Coming off a miserable season, the Jets are in a difficult offseason position. They don't project to have much cap room, at least until they start cutting some high-priced players. And whatever cap room they do create might have to be spent on the quarterback they so obviously and desperately need.

And since they'll have to replace many of the players they cut, they may not have much room to re-sign their own players. The good news, though, is coming off a miserable, 5-11 season it's not like they have a lot of unrestricted free agents they absolutely can't live without.

There are a couple worth bringing back, though. Here's a look at their list of free agents, and how hard they might try to re-sign them...

Jets GM Mike Maccagnan said he was disappointed with the team's 5-11 finish this season, and wouldn't put a timetable on when they would be a perennial contender.

"We're obviously not happy with our record. But I do think we made some progress [with the youth]," Maccagnan told reporters while alluding to players such as OL Brandon Shell and CB Juston Burris. "We have some pieces we feel good about."

Maccagnan said he felt comfortable signing Ryan Fitzpatrick this past offseason, noting that all options -- internal and external -- will be on the table for 2017 at quarterback.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Christian Hackenberg still hasn't taken a snap as the Jets quarterback, but he handled his first media firestorm without flinching at all.

The still unused second-rounder brushed off an ESPN report from Sunday that quoted an anonymous Jets coach saying Hackenberg regressed during his "redshirt" season and was so inaccurate that he "couldn't hit the ocean." Todd Bowles insisted that assessment was "not at all" true.

Christian Hackenberg will swap his sweats for shoulder pads and a helmet on the New York Jets' sideline Sunday.

That actually counts as progress for the rookie quarterback, who'll be active for a regular-season game for the first time in his NFL career.

While some fans and media spent the last several days clamoring for Todd Bowles to start Hackenberg instead of Ryan Fitzpatrick in the season finale against Buffalo , the second-round pick out of Penn State will remain patient and wait for his turn to play.

Latest Update (Dec. 29)

Jets QB Bryce Petty will have surgery on the torn labrum in his left shoulder next week, head coach Todd Bowles said.

There is no timetable yet on Petty's recovery.

Previous Reports (Dec. 26)

The Jets placed Petty on injured reserve after he suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder during Saturday's loss to the Patriots.