As if there wasn't enough attention focused on the New York Jets' quarterback situation already ... .
New coach Todd Bowles said Tuesday during the AFC coaches breakfast at the NFL Annual Meeting in Phoenix that Florida State's Jameis Winston will hold a private workout for the team.
Winston is the presumptive top pick, while the Jets own the sixth overall selection.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers pick first and definitely seem interested in Winston, which has led to speculation that the Jets might target Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota at No. 6. Frankly, unless the Jets trade up, it seems extremely unlikely -- as in Joe Namath returns in 1969 form -- that New York can get Winston.
Earlier Tuesday, Bowles said on NFL Network's "NFL AM" that holdover starter Geno Smith is the Jets' "No. 1 guy right now." When asked if the Jets would target a quarterback at No. 6, Bowles said, "We're going to take the best player. ... We're not going to deviate from our board, and if that happens to be a quarterback, then we'll take a quarterback."
Monday, Jets owner Woody Johnson said "Geno's probably way ahead of (Mariota) at this point, believe it or not -- whether you guys have skepticism of that or not."
Given Mariota's lack of experience in a pro-style offense, that point actually is tough to argue. But Winston has experience in a pro-style offense, and it's hard to find anyone who would argue that Smith has more long-term upside than Winston (or Mariota, frankly).
Again, though, unless they move up, Winston will be unavailable to the Jets.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
