Chalk up another quarterback who got kicked to the curb by the New York Jets .
Sources close to the situation confirmed to the Deseret News that the Jets have told Zach Wilson he will be traded after the season. Wilson and coach Robert Saleh agreed to a mutual parting following the benching — again — of Wilson and before the team decided to return him to the starting position Sunday.
The team, beset by news leaks that roiled Aaron Rodgers , New York media and the fanbase this past week, has not commented on the future of the former BYU star and No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft, other than to announce he will return to the field Sunday.
Wilson became the Jets' starting quarterback when Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon four plays into the season opener. Wilson started the next nine games and then was benched — his third benching in 13 months. The Jets were 4-6 at the time and averaging just 14 points per game. Saleh met with Wilson after the benching, and they agreed to part ways after the season, sources told the Deseret News.
Wilson has one year left on his contract worth a guaranteed $5.5 million. Wilson is still only 24 years old, and he possesses a rocket arm and good speed and athleticism. If the Jets can't find a team that will pick up all of Wilson's salary, they will be on the hook for the shortfall.
Wilson failed to make it work in 31 starts (so far) for the Jets, but at least he has plenty of company. The Jets are a quarterback graveyard (which is why I wrote an open letter to the Jets shortly before the 2021 draft, begging them not to draft Wilson). In 2021, Wilson became the 11th quarterback the Jets drafted in 15 years, including six in the first two rounds. Before Wilson's arrival, the Jets had switched quarterbacks 12 times the previous five seasons, using draft picks, free agents and journeymen.
The Jets and the media will blame Wilson for his failings, and he certainly has had shortcomings. His career stats to date: a 56.6 completion rate, 5,966 yards, 21 touchdowns, 25 interceptions, 6.3 yards per attempt and 71.9 passer rating. Notwithstanding, at what point do the Jets, given their long, miserable history with quarterbacks, look in the mirror and realize they are the common denominator for all those failed quarterbacks?
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Do they actually believe that every one of those quarterbacks simply was incapable of success? None seemed to fully recover from their traumatizing experience with the Jets, except Geno Smith , who landed with Seattle in his seventh season, spent two seasons on the sideline behind Russell Wilson and then became the team's quarterback in his ninth season. He was one of the best quarterbacks in the league in 2022.
When the Jets benched Wilson last season, they replaced him with Mike White , who, after a good game against a bad Bears team, quickly went downhill, finishing with a 1-3 record, three touchdown passes and four interceptions. Then the Jets started Joe Flacco , who also was 1-3 as a starter (Wilson was 5-4) and threw five touchdown passes and three interceptions.
As has been widely reported this week, Wilson's benching lasted just two games; his replacement, Tim Boyle , was benched during last week's game and replaced by journeyman Trevor Siemian . Boyle was released by the Jets on Tuesday. The Jets, of course, reversed field this week and asked Wilson — the quarterback who has been booed and struck in the head with a water bottle and reviled in the media — to start the team's remaining five games.
If Wilson had initial concerns about stepping back into the lineup for a 4-8 team that has no playoff hopes, it would be understandable. He risks an injury that could complicate a potential trade. The Athletic, using a source in the Jets organization, reported that Aaron Rodgers had spoken to Wilson to offer advice, but Wilson was apprehensive about playing, which stirred up more controversy. Saleh made a strong defense of the quarterback at a press conference.
"Let's be clear. If he was reluctant to play, guys, he wouldn't be here," Saleh said. " … I actually coincidentally just got done speaking with him, he came in about half-hour ago and we had a really good conversation. The young man wants the ball, he wants to start, he believes he's the best quarterback in the room and best quarterback for this team and the guy who gives us the best chance to win. And I'll tell you guys the same thing I told him, I appreciate it. I appreciate the fact that he wants to play."
Rodgers, who befriended Wilson a year ago (Wilson actually stayed at Rodgers' home one weekend following last season), delivered a scathing and emotional defense of Wilson on a radio show and said several times that he "loves" Wilson.
"When you use sources and whether intentional or unintentional to try and assassinate someone's character like that report does for Zach I have a real hard time with that," said Rodgers, per CBS. "... You're basically saying that this kid is quitting on the team and doesn't wanna play. What is your motivation to try to bury someone like that?
"… I think it's chicken (expletive) at its core and I think it has no place in a winning organization. (Wilson's) gone through a lot of (expletive) in the last three years and he has every right to be frustrated and disappointed about it. I think he's done a good job of standing up and taking accountability this year when it's been his part to do it."
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Wilson will step back into the lineup for games against the Texans , Dolphins, Commanders, Browns and then he is expected to wear a Jets uniform for the last time on Jan. 7 against the Patriots .
Those close to Wilson, including his high school coach, Eric Kjar , say they would like to see Zach sign with a team that has an offensive-minded head coach (Saleh has a defensive background) with a good veteran quarterback that would enable him to spend a year standing on the sideline in an apprentice role.
The Jets made Wilson their starter, ready or not, from Day 1 of his pro career, and that always comes with the risk of damaging confidence. Rodgers spent three years on the sideline before he became the starter for the Packers , as did former Utah State star Jordan Love . The Jets planned to have Wilson play behind Rodgers this season, but then was thwarted by Rodgers' injury.
The Broncos, Vikings and Rams, who all have aging, successful veterans at quarterback, as well as offensive-minded head coaches, would be ideal landing spots.
It's not too late for Wilson, but landing with the right team is crucial. Steve Young , another former BYU quarterback, started his NFL career just about as poorly as Wilson. In his first two years with the Buccaneers — a terrible franchise at the time — he had a 3-16 won-loss record while throwing more interceptions than touchdowns and completing only about half of his passes.
It wasn't until the 49ers threw Young a lifeline, with Joe Montana at quarterback and offensive guru Bill Walsh as head coach, that Young began to develop into a Hall of Fame QB. He didn't become the team's full-time starter until his seventh season in the league, and that's not counting two more seasons with the L.A. Express of the United States Football League.
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Then there's Alex Smith , the first pick of the 2005 draft, out of the University of Utah. A rookie quarterback couldn't have landed in a worse situation than San Francisco . His first two head coaches had their roots in defense — first Mike Nolan and then Mike Singletary. Smith was made the starter on Day 1. The coaches pressured him into playing with a serious injury, threw him under the bus with the public, berated him on the sideline, and after five seasons he was traumatized and floundering. Then along came Jim Harbaugh , who nurtured Smith and transformed him into a prolific quarterback who would go on to throw for 35,650 yards, 199 touchdowns, 109 interceptions and 174 victories.
Wilson's future in football is uncertain, but it's equally uncertain for all but one of the five quarterbacks in his draft class who were selected with the first 15 picks of 2021.
Justin Fields has proved to be a mediocre passer. He has kept his starting job because of his running ability, but such quarterbacks rarely endure in the league. Many observers believe the Bears will draft a quarterback in 2024. Mac Jones , after showing promise last season, has struggled this season and has been benched. The Patriots will look for another quarterback in the offseason. Trey Lance , after being traded from the 49ers to the Cowboys last summer for a fourth-round draft pick, is a third-string quarterback and hasn't played this season. Of the five, only Trevor Lawrence , the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2021, has established himself as a franchise quarterback with the Jaguars .
Wilson will become the second of those quarterbacks to be moved to another team. It's hardly the ending the Jets imagined when they drafted him, although, given their history, they shouldn't be surprised. It's ironic to recall the phone conversation between Saleh and Wilson moments after the 2021 draft. In that call, Saleh told Wilson, "The biggest thing I want to tell you — remember this — this organization is going to lift you, not the other way around."
New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson walks the sidelines during a game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, in East Rutherford, N.J. According to sources, the Jets plan to move on from Wilson after the season. | Adam Hunger, Associated Press
