We need to talk about the New York Jets quarterback situation.
The New York Jets should not give up on ZachWilson.
I don’t care that Matt Ryan reached out, I don’t care that Carson Wentz reached out.
Zach Wilson is your best bad option. But he’s an option. Those other guys had multiple chances to prove they could still play. They can’t!
What are you going to do, trade for Kirk Cousins? How? You think he wants to uproot his Kohl’s catalog family twice in one year? Once mid-season, and once when Aaron Rodgers gets back? Plus, it’s financially impossible.
The Jets didn’t give up on ZachWilson when they signed Aaron Rodgers, and they shouldn’t give up on him now.
If they didn’t believe this could work on some level, he wouldn’t STILL BE IN THE BUILDING.
Do you realize how rare it is in today’s NFL to draft or bring in a QB that you intend on starting over your previous franchise guy, and hold on to both?
Even when your intent isn’t to start the guy right away, like with Will Levis in Tennessee, everyone knows the writing is on the wall.
I mean, think about it. That’s how Aaron Rodgers ultimately ended up in New York! If the Packers use the 26th pick in the 2020 NFL draft on Tee Higgins or Michael Pittman Jr instead of drafting Jordan Love, Rodgers is likely finishing his career in Green Bay.
The last time the Jets decided to move on from the guy they drafted to be the face of the franchise, they made sure Sam Darnold was out of the building for three weeks before they spent the second overall pick on ZachWilson.
There has to be a reason Wilson is still around.
It’s not continuity with the offense. The Jets specifically brought in Nathaniel Hackett to work with Aaron Rodgers.
It’s not ZachWilson’s immaculate locker room vibes. We saw the entire team turtle up when Wilson refused to publicly acknowledge last year that his play was holding the team back.
And by the way, shout out to Wilson for taking responsibility for the Jets loss against Dallas. That’s growth, and we like growth.
The obvious answer to why ZachWilson is still in a Jets uniform is that the kid has talent, even if he hasn’t put it all together on the field yet.
And if we’re being honest, we have seen flashes of that talent, but his four previous career games against the hated New England Patriots were so incredibly awful that they color the way a lot of fans see his young career so far.
Not turning the ball over in the fifth game though? That’s progress.
Look, if the Jets thought ZachWilson was ready to be the guy, they never would have went out and got Aaron Rodgers. If they thought ZachWilson would never be ready to be the guy, he’d probably be in Tampa Bay battling for reps with Baker Mayfield.
Robert Griffin III was right when he said that the player that gives the Jets the best chance to win is already in the locker room. It might not be a realistic chance, but it is the best chance.
So what is Wilson’s recipe for success? Trust his brother from another mother, Garrett Wilson, to make plays. Feed the ball to the stacked running back stable of Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook. Don’t take unnecessary sacks. And perhaps more important than all of that, Wilson needs to use his access to the most talented one-legged QB in NFL history- the same guy that seemed to have so much fun calling plays for him in the preseason.
The season isn’t over yet. All the New York Jets goals are still in front of them. The Jets didn’t give up on ZachWilson, and he has an opportunity to reward them for that. Let’s see if he can.
Let that sink in.
