If the Jets go to the discount bin looking for a quarterback this offseason, they might well turn their attention to Lions backup quarterback, Shaun Hill, who will be a free agent. Hill has 26 career starts in nine seasons in the league with Minnesota, San Francisco, and Detroit. He saw extended stretches as a starter with the 49ers late in 2008, again in early 2009, and with the Lions when Matt Stafford spent much of 2010 injured.
Hill fits the solid backup/below average starter category. He is accurate on short passes with a 61.7% career completion percentage. He does not have the arm to get the ball into tight widows for big plays down the field as his 6.6 average per attempt would indicate. He does protect the football, though, with only 23 career interceptions in 941 attempts, an excellent rate of 2.4%. His 84.7 career rating reflects this adequate but not spectacular ability and track record.
I would like to see the Jets grab a guy like David Garrard or Jason Campbell with more of a track record. I want a starting caliber quarterback. I think the perception by signing Hill due to his limited playing time would be that he would be Mark Sanchez's backup. Hill still would likely be a lot better than the 2011 mode of Mark Sanchez and fit the mode of a ball protecting game manager a team built on defense and the run game would want. I feel the quarterback position is too important to grab a cheap career backup, but Hill would probably be my preferred choice if that is how the front office decided to go.