Zach Wilson‘s time in the Big Apple was numbered. After another below-average season, the New York Jets have agreed to give Wilson the freedom to talk with potential suitors. However, insider news is that there aren’t many who would take a chance with him.
Things fell apart for the Jets following Aaron Rodgers’ sudden, season-ending injury. Wilson stepped in but wasn’t able to steady the ship. It wasn’t for a lack of trying. But owner Woody Johnson claimed they didn’t have a backup quarterback, which signaled that the BYU alumni’s days are numbered.
ESPN‘s Rich Cimini reported that Jets general manager Joe Douglas had a chat with Wilson’s agent, Brian Ayrault. Douglas gave the green signal to look for trade partners.
Douglas said, as per Cimini:
I'm going to circle back with Brian [Ayrault] at some point this week or next week just to see how those conversations go. But other than that, there's nothing else to report. Joe Douglas said
But it’s hardly, seek, and you shall find a situation for Zach Wilson. He has had the league’s second-lowest QBR rating in the last two years, even though he had the grooming of one of the best ever to play football, Aaron Rodgers. This entire situation came as a surprise for another Jets player. All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner took to X (formerly Twitter) and showed support for his teammate.
This has to be capped. Zach is a [baller]. All he needs is time to throw the ball, and if for whatever reason he doesn’t have it, he can get it done with his legs. Sauce Gardner wrote on X
Zach Wilson may face problems finding a new home
The Jets selected Wilson as the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. But as things progress, he is close to being labeled as a draft bust. That may be the primary reason 31 other teams are not showing interest in the 24-year-old. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Most of them are likely to be put off by the money situation Wilson will bring along with him. Unless the Jets settle or pay a portion of the $5.4 million fully guaranteed in 2024, his trade potential will remain low. The best-case scenario would be to release Wilson, and he would sign with a team that agreed to a minimum one-year deal.
That doesn’t mean it’s over, Wilson. If the Jets are ready to part ways with a draft pick to take on the full $5.4 million, then perhaps a very needy team would take him off their hands. Otherwise, they could just repeat last year’s theory of keeping him and have faith that watching Rodgers play will make some improvement.
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