Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
INDIANAPOLIS - A year ago, Jets GM Mike Maccagnan knew he had to move up in the draft from No. 6 to No. 3 to get in position to draft a franchise quarterback. Now, with quarterback Sam Darnold on board and the No. 3 pick once again in his pocket, he could be in the market to move down.
And yes, he would even be willing to trade down to No. 6 in an exchange of picks with the Giants - if he gets an offer he can't refuse.
"Yeah. I think I'd be open to any team - as long as the trade made sense to us," Maccagnan said at the NFL scouting combine on Wednesday. "There's nothing that would stop us from doing that."
It's a deal that makes sense on the surface, especially if the Giants decide that the time is now for them to draft Eli Manning's successor. The reality is the quarterback they desire - no matter who it is - is no lock to still be there at 6. If the Giants moved up to 3, they'd be in a much better position.
But at what cost? Last year, it cost the Jets three second-round picks to move up three spots. This year, Maccagnan made it clear that the price could be higher than that as teams begin to scramble to get into position to take a quarterback.
"We have charts, we have trade values," Maccagnan said. "My personal opinion if you're trying to go chase a quarterback, it's sort of whatever the market is and then some."
It's the "and then some" that could make it difficult for the Giants, who have no third-round pick (they used it in the supplemental draft on cornerback Sam Beal last year), and have plenty of holes to fill of their own. It wouldn't be out of the question for Maccagnan to ask for a future first-round pick, especially if he's getting out of the way so the Jets' cross-town rivals can draft their Quarterback of the Future.
Their could be other suitors, too. The Jacksonville Jaguars (at No. 7), the Denver Broncos (at No. 10), the Miami Dolphins (at No. 13) and Washington Redskins (at No. 15) could all be interested in moving up for a quarterback.
Adding picks would seem to be a smart move for the Jets, though Maccagnan seemed fine with staying where he is, too.
"You know, right now we feel good at No. 3," he said. "But I would definitely say that if there's an opportunity to trade down we would absolutely look at it. If we had to pick a player at 3 we'd feel very good."
As the draft gets closer, though, Maccagnan does expect that the market for the Jets' pick will heat up.
"If you look at last year's draft, there were a lot of quarterbacks in the draft, and I think there's a lot of people who tried to position and move around a little bit to acquire a quarterback," Maccagnan said. "I think there may be a similar situation this year. We'll see.
"If there are teams looking to get up there for a chance at a quarterback, I think we're in a pretty good position to be in. I know there's definitely three good football players in this year's draft, so if we have to sit there at 3 and pick a player we'll be very happy with that too."