Could Vick find success in New York? The short answer to this question is yes, but with a few caveats. Vick has certainly shown the ability to lead a team to the playoffs, but he is well into the twilight of his career. His statistics and games played have both steadily declined from 2011 to the present and there are some questions regarding his current value.
The Jets are a team that could be a good fit for Vick because he will not be asked to carry the entire load. The running game is solid and the defense keeps most games close. Regardless of who will play quarterback next season, the Jets will need to upgrade their receiving corps via draft and free agency. Assuming that this will be done, it could be a situation where the team is ready to win now.
The last time the Jets decided to go with a veteran free agent at quarterback it was Brett Favre and it did not go well. Vick is much younger than Favre was, but he has a lot of wear on his tires due to the nature of his game. Vicious hits have been a regular part of life for Vick who is often looking for a way to utilize his legs to gain yards. Now that he has lost a step, the hits are piling up and Vick is having more trouble than ever staying healthy.
If he can stay on the field even for the majority of the season, Vick will guide the Jets to the postseason. Even his diminishing skill set is more than most NFL quarterbacks could ever hope to have. It is true that Vick does not excel at reading defenses and turns the ball over too much. He makes up for this by making spectacular plays and freeing up other offensive players due to the ever present threat of a game breaking scramble.
Aside from Vick's pedigree and talent, the Jets will not have to design a drastically different gameplan for Vick and his probable backup Geno Smith. Both quarterbacks play a similar style and Smith could step in and run the offense if and when Vick should take a big shot and miss some time. This is the biggest reason that I believe the 2014 Jets will be led by Michael Vick. The next year or even midseason, Geno Smith may well get his job back though.
