3 months before the first game of the season, the Jets already sound like a mess

pulse

May 23, 2017 10:25 PM

The Jets' day of workouts included a former QB taking a shot at the team, a lineman taking a shot at former teammate, a missing safety, and lackluster QB play.

30. Todd Bowles, New York Jets

If the New York Jets' organized workouts on Tuesday are any indication, it may be another long season.

After a miserable 5-11 outing in 2016, several comments from both current and past players hint at a contentious locker room last year and potentially contentious one this year.

One of the biggest stories was the absence of safety Calvin Pryor. While workouts were voluntary and Pryor reportedly attended past team workouts, his absence on Tuesday because he is playing for a contract.

Earlier in May, the Jets opted not to pick up Pryor's fifth-year option, making him a free agent after this season. This came after the Jets drafted two safeties, namely LSU's Jamal Adams with the sixth overall pick. While head coach Todd Bowles was mum on Pryor's absence, NJ.com's Connor Hughes reports Bowles once said of a player missing OTAs, "

Shots about last year's team also came from former quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, now a backup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Asked about leaving the Jets, Fitzpatrick told reporters, "

"McCown went (unofficially) 11 of 14 with an interception and a sack in team drills. Hackenberg (unofficially) went 9 of 14 with an interception in the portions observed by NJ Advance Media. Petty's statistics were incomplete."

Not helping matters, Hughes posted a video of Hackenberg — who an unnamed coach once said couldn't throw a rock into the ocean — overthrowing a receiver during a drill (the receiver's effort didn't help either).

Hughes further elaborated on Hackenberg's day, saying certain aspects of his game, like his footwork and deep throws, looked good, but accuracy was still a big issue: "

The Jets are clearly a team in transition, and few expect any of their current quarterbacks to be their long-term solutions. However, in the meantime, it could be a long year if perhaps their best options at quarterback are a 37-year-old journeyman with a career 78.2 passer rating, or a third-year quarterback who's thrown three touchdowns to seven interceptions in his six career games.

Perhaps the best case for the Jets this season is that they're a surprisingly competitive, drama-free team that earns a high draft pick next May. Early evidence suggests, however, that there may be plenty of storylines to follow this season.

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