Jets Offseason Rumors: David Garrard Works Out for Gang Green

Manish Mehta reports the Jets have given former Jaguars and Dolphins quarterback David Garrard a workout.

Garrard, 35, played in 86 games in nine seasons with the Jaguars before getting released before the 2011 season to pave the way for first-round pick Blaine Gabbert.

Garrard is a wild card. He has not been on an NFL regular season roster since 2010. Nobody can say for sure how much two years of football inactivity and age have eroded his skills.

The player Garrard used to be would be a perfect transitional stopgap between Mark Sanchez and the next quarterback of the future. Garrard was never good enough to carry the load himself. He hit enough plays, though, that you could win with him if you could give him help. His career completion percentage and yards per pass are a solid 61.6 and 7.0 respectively, a big improvement over Sanchez. Garrard also used to be able to extend plays with his legs, which is probably less of an asset at his current age with knee problems. Most importantly, he has protected the football with a very low 2.4% interception rate.

It is difficult to say how much Garrard really has left in the tank. That is the reason for the workout. Having a guy who will not blow the game for you and make a few plays in the process could at least give this team a bit of hope next year if Rex Ryan can patch together a good defense. It's at least something to hope for. It would beat a bunch of Sanchez pick six stomach punches.