LISTEN: Jets' Maccagnan Doesn't Rule Out Keeping 4 Quarterbacks
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- When the Jets selected Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg in the second round of last week's NFL draft, many observers assumed the team would likely have to shed one of the QBs already on its roster.
But appearing on Mike Francesa's WFAN show Tuesday, Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan didn't rule out the possibility of keeping four signal callers on the regular season roster.
>> Subscribe To The Mike Francesa Podcast
Maccagnan said he's still trying to re-sign Ryan Fitzpatrick, who would return as the Jets' starter. New York also has fourth-year veteran Geno Smith and Bryce Petty, a fourth-round draft pick last year.
"Quarterbacks are important obviously in the league in general, but in a perfect world, I think you'd like to take your time to develop quarterbacks and have them almost in the pipeline basically," Maccagnan said. "So that's our kind of approach to this whole thing. And hey, if it's in the best interest of the team at the end of training camp that we carry four quarterbacks, we carry four quarterbacks. It's not unprecedented in the NFL. It's been done before. But really, to me, it's a position where you have to take some time to really invest, grow and develop players."
When asked why he liked Hackenberg so much, Maccagnan said: "When you break him down, I think obviously his physical ability, throwing talent, size, stature, we really like him from an intangible standpoint in terms of his work ethic, his mental toughness, his intelligence. There are a lot of parts and pieces to work with there."
Maccagnan said no one should count out Smith, who will enter offseason workouts as the starter. The GM noted that Smith had a strong offseason last year before teammate IK Enemkpali broke his jaw in a lockerroom fight and did a number of good things against Oakland last season.
"Geno's done a good job for us and this will be a big offseason for him going forward, and we'll see how he develops," Maccagnan said.
The 2015 NFL Executive of the Year said his position on trying to re-sign Fitzpatrick has not changed at all as a result of the draft.
"We've been very consistent and very transparent that Ryan is our focus, we'd like to get Ryan back," Maccagnan said. "And it's a process you go through in free agency. Sometimes the deals get done quick, sometimes deals take time."
To listen to the full interview with Maccagnan, click on the audio player above.