It’s a no-brainer for the Jets to keep thriving QB under center

It’s a no-brainer really. Jets head coach Todd Bowles made it official on Wednesday, saying Josh McCown would be the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.

That would be real news in September or maybe October. But after the leading the Jets to a 5-7 record into December and with the playoffs still a possibility, Bowles would have been foolish to consider replacing his starting quarterback over the next four weeks.

“That’s what I’ve been saying all along,” Bowles repeated Wednesday as the Jets continued to prepare for Sunday’s game at Denver.

The 38-year-old McCown was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for 331 yards and one touchdown in the Jets’ 38-31 home win over the Chiefs last Sunday. He also rushed for two touchdowns. McCown called earning the award “an honor” and credited his teammates. But he has been the Jets’ most valuable player all season.

He came here with the reputation of being a good guy, a journeyman quarterback who in his 15th season would at least be a reliable Band-Aid for a team hoping to develop Christian Hackenberg or Bryce Petty into a long-term solution. That still might be the plan, but the Jets are McCown’s team now and have been since the three-game winning streak Weeks 3-5, which took the organization from playing for the top pick in next year’s draft to winning more games than anyone imagined. Who would have ever thought there would be more stability at the quarterback position in Florham Park than in East Rutherford?

McCown, with his easy-going yet focused personality, has been the perfect fit for the Jets on the field and in the locker room, leading by example with his work ethic and ability to relate to everyone on the roster from starters to players on the practice squad.

Bowles has never wavered in his belief in McCown and never indicated he was thinking of making a change to get Hackenberg or Petty a regular-season start. But Bowles never fully committed to McCown for the entire year until Wednesday. That was just being a coach. The Jets have finally stabilized their quarterback position, and there was no need to create any kind of unnecessary speculation by waffling on McCown’s status.

Bowles acted like McCown finishing the year as the starter was his plan all along. Still, making it official on Wednesday ends any speculation of anyone assuming that role.

“That was my plan and expectation,” McCown said. “To hear that reaffirms it. But I had every expectation of doing that anyway.”

It’s the right move at the right time, especially after beating the Chiefs in what was considered a mild upset. It was just the Jets second win in their past six games, but they’ve been competitive in all of them.

Truth is, McCown should get strong consideration for a spot in the Pro Bowl. Through 12 games, he has thrown for 2,880 yards with 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He ranks fourth the NFL in completion percentage (67.8) and has a quarterback rating of 96.7, which ranks third among active players in the AFC. The Jets couldn’t have expected much more than that when they signed him during the offseason.

Should the Jets lose their next two games or if they fall out of playoff contention, then Bowles must entertain the notion of giving Hackenberg and Petty some live reps. That could come in the fourth quarter of blowout wins or blowout losses. But there’s no need to replace the starting quarterback and create a headline the way the Giants did, lose a locker room and wind up wrecking a season and all the positive vibes that have been created.

Logic suggests the Jets staff already knows what it has in its two young quarterbacks and realizes McCown is the best option this year and perhaps next. That’s why keeping him as the starter for the remainder of the season was an easy no-brainer.