Jets owner shares huge Zach Wilson trade, release update

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson may have changed his mind about the future of quarterback Zach Wilson. 

As shared by Brian Costello of the New York Post, Johnson told reporters at the NFL owners meetings on Monday that the Jets are "going to keep" Wilson if they don't trade the 24-year-old this offseason. 

Johnson previously buried Wilson when the owner said in February the Jets "didn't have" a legitimate quarterback after Week 1 starter Aaron Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles four offensive snaps into the club's 2023 regular-season opener. 

Wilson mostly disappointed while serving as Rodgers' replacement, was benched in Week 11 and didn't play across the team's final three games of the campaign. 

Wilson was granted permission to seek a trade ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine, but some had believed the Jets would have to pay part of his fully guaranteed compensation package of over $5.5M and/or attach a draft pick to trade him. 

Many assumed the Jets would ultimately cut Wilson to keep him out of the building this summer, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported on Monday morning that the club has "gotten trade offers for" the second pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. Florio added the Jets "don’t like the offers they’ve gotten" and are "waiting for something better" from teams. 

"It’s believed by some that owner Woody Johnson is the person keeping it from happening," Florio said about a potential Wilson trade. 

Johnson denied that take on Monday and insisted only Jets general manager Joe Douglas could "nix" such a transaction. 

Johnson admitted that Wilson probably needs a fresh start elsewhere but also suggested the Jets won't do would-be buyers any favors. 

"Zach is a valuable asset," Johnson explained. "I said it would be better for him. No, we’re not just going to release him." 

The Jets signed veteran Tyrod Taylor this offseason presumably to have him serve as Rodgers' primary backup this coming fall. 

While Johnson said on Monday that Wilson "needs to be in a place where he can observe for a while," a bombshell report released on Jan. 31 claimed, among other things, that Wilson's feelings about Rodgers "soured over the season" as the future Hall of Famer recovered from his injury. 

That story indicated Wilson won't continue learning under Rodgers through this summer, but Johnson sounds ready to stash the player of three NFL seasons on the New York roster as a QB3 until further notice.