NFL teams
Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Jets meet with QB Josh McCown

NFL, NFL Draft, New York Jets

INDIANAPOLIS -- The New York Jets say they're not ready to give up on the turnover-prone Geno Smith, but they've already begun exploring other quarterback options.

Team officials met Wednesday at the NFL scouting combine with free agent Josh McCown, whom the Tampa Bay Buccaneers released last week.

"Every quarterback out there, we'd have an interest in," general manager Mike Maccagnan said.

McCown also met with the Buffalo Bills and the Chicago Bears recently.

Because the Jets have roughly $50 million in cap room, Maccagnan promised to be "very active" in free agency, but money can't buy a franchise quarterback -- at least not in this year's weak market.

As a result, the Jets' new regime will weigh several possibilities, including the draft. With the sixth pick, they could be in position to pick Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota.

The Jets have remained noncommittal on Smith, who has compiled an 11-18 record in two seasons as the starter, but they're willing to let him compete for his old starting job.

"He's obviously in our mix, and we're kind of committed to trying to make him a success because he's ours and the team has invested a second-round draft pick in him," Maccagnan said of Smith. "We're doing everything we can to make him successful."

A return to Smith wouldn't sit well with the fan base, but the landscape isn't filled with exciting alternatives. McCown, 35, is a well-respected leader, but he went 1-10 last season for the Bucs and would be nothing more than a stopgap measure.

The Jets are scheduled to meet individually with Mariota and Jameis Winston at the combine, Maccagnan confirmed. The Bucs could take Winston at No. 1, but Mariota could be on the board for the Jets.

Maccagnan declined to comment on Winston and Mariota, saying he's still in information-gathering mode because they're underclassmen. Maccagnan and new coach Todd Bowles also stopped short of giving an assessment of Smith even though they've had almost a month to study him on video.

Bowles praised Smith's physical attributes but added, "We've got to sit him down and see what he can and can't do and what kind of intangibles he has."

By rule, that can't happen until early April, when the team's offseason program begins. By then, the Jets probably will have a veteran quarterback on the roster.

Maccagnan and Bowles, meeting the national media for the first time, both mentioned cornerback as a primary need. Their top returning corner is Dee Milliner, but he may not be ready until early summer. They're plotting their offseason as though Milliner won't be ready. 

Wide receiver might have to be addressed, too, especially if they release Percy Harvin and his $10.5 million salary. Maccagnan was noncommittal on Harvin, hinting the Jets might ask the mercurial receiver to restructure his contract.

The Jets are prepared to spend big money to fix their 4-12 roster. Maccagnan said they might bid on the top free agents as they attempt to close the gap on the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. But unlike his predecessor, Rex Ryan, Bowles isn't consumed with overtaking the Patriots.

"We're going to concentrate on us," he said. "You can't beat the Patriots in February. Just beating the Pats is not going to cut it if you lose to everybody else."

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