New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh raised eyebrows when he said Wednesday he believes quarterback Zach Wilson is "going to have a hell of a career" somewhere in the NFL.
A couple of Wilson's teammates later spoke highly of the third-year pro who likely has taken his final meaningful snap with the Jets.
"There’s no patience really for anybody, especially quarterbacks, and especially in this market," temporary Jets starting signal-caller Trevor Siemian told Steve Serby of the New York Post. "But I think Zach in the long run will be just fine...I’ll be interested to see what kind of player he is when he’s 30."
The Jets made Wilson the second overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, and the 24-year-old ultimately accumulated a 12-21 record to go along with multiple benchings across his first three pro seasons. Per ESPN stats, Wilson enters Week 18 ranked last in the NFL among qualified players with a 30.2 adjusted QBR, 31st with a 77.2 passer rating and 31st with a 60.1% completion percentage for the campaign.
"He’s been great, and he’s been fun to be around," Siemian said about Wilson during a Wednesday news conference, according to the Jets' website. "He’s grown from what I’ve seen just a little bit that I’ve been here as a player, so he’s just a lot of fun to have in the QB room."
Siemian added he thinks Wilson is "going to be a good player for a long time."
Wilson won't clear the concussion protocol ahead of this Sunday's season finale between the 6-10 Jets and 4-12 New England Patriots. New York is expected to shop Wilson to other clubs ahead of this year's draft.
"Whatever he puts his mind to," Jets linebacker and team captain C.J. Mosley told Serby when asked what Wilson can accomplish as a pro.
As shared by Ryan Chichester of Audacy, former New York Giants quarterback and current CBS NFL analyst Phil Simms previously predicted that Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid will take a flier on Wilson and have the former BYU Cougars star enjoy a bit of a reset sitting behind two-time Most Valuable Player Patrick Mahomes.
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The Las Vegas Raiders just stunned the league by releasing defensive tackle Christian Wilkins after only one year with the team. After signing a four-year, $110 million contract, he struggled with injuries in 2024. This was supposed to be a big bounce-back year for Wilkins, but after a dispute between the two sides in regard to how to handle his foot injury, the team decided it was best to part ways. Now, a premier interior disruptor is suddenly available. Assuming his medicals get checked out soon, there should be a lot of interest around the league. Where should he land? Dallas Cowboys Dallas has needed a dominant interior presence for quite some time. Osa Odighizuwa is an awesome threat, but he is only solid against the run. Alongside him, the team will be banking heavily on 2023 first-rounder Mazi Smith, who has been disappointing so far. With Dallas looking to return to the playoffs, adding a stud like Wilkins could give Dallas one of the best defensive lines in the NFL. San Francisco 49ers The 49ers added some young bodies in CJ West and Alfred Collins, yet neither offer a proven, all-around talent like Wilkins could if healthy. The 49ers defensive line was horrid outside of Nick Bosa in 2024, but by adding Wilkins, the team would now have a solid cast of starters with Nick Bosa, Mykel Williams, Wilkins and Kevin Givens/Jordan Elliott. Miami Dolphins A return to Miami makes a ton of sense for both sides. The Dolphins know exactly how to use Wilkins, he knows the building and players, and the transition would be very easy. Miami needs help in the interior defensive line; by plugging Wilkins back into his old role, he could offer the quickest path to high-level impact. Detroit Lions With Levi Onwuzurike out with injury and Detroit needing more juice on the defensive line, adding a proven disruptor like Wilkins could make some sense. He could provide more depth while he gets fully healthy, and he can join a legit Super Bowl contender. His energy and mentality could be a good fit for a Dan Campbell-led squad. Jacksonville Jaguars The Jaguars defense is average in the interior, but they have excellent edge-rushers who would benefit greatly from a strong disruptor up the middle. Wilkins could balance the front, help in the run defense and allow more one-on-ones for their premier edge-rushers. For a team that wants to return to the playoffs as soon as possible, adding a veteran like Wilkins could be a worthy bet to make.
On Thursday, wrestling icon Terry "Hulk Hogan" Bollea died at the age of 71. "WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away," the company said in a statement. "One of pop culture’s most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s... WWE extends its condolences to Hogan’s family, friends, and fans." Hogan was the first true superstar to emerge in the wrestling industry, capturing a casual audience worldwide and bringing new eyes to the sport. He was an unbelievable draw, both as a baby face and as a heel. From his time as an All-American hero to leading the New World Order and teaming with Randy Savage as part of the "Mega Powers," he has been a staple of the scene for decades. Who can forget his WrestleMania III moment, where he defied the laws of physics to body-slam a 520-pound Andre the Giant? Or, more recently, his match with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson at WrestleMania 18? His last appearance on WWE RAW on Jan. 6 saw him booed throughout, highlighting the rocky legacy Hogan leaves behind. Hogan's universal popularity has plummeted in recent years, primarily due to a racism scandal that led to his removal from the Wrestling Hall of Fame, only to be reinstated in 2018. Nevertheless, the damage had been done. Hogan's outdated and unwelcome outlook on specific aspects of life derailed the final stanza of a legendary career. Still, there's no denying that without Hogan, the wrestling we know and love today wouldn't exist. There wouldn't be WWE on the world's largest streaming platform, or All Elite Wrestling, which is developing into one of the most successful challenger brands. Instead, there would be smaller, more localized promotions, all competing for a sliver of television time. Hogan popularized the sport by bridging the gap between the wrestling ring and Hollywood. During his time in the spotlight, Hogan appeared in movies such as "Rocky III," "No Holds Barred" and "Suburban Commando," all of which helped bring his larger-than-life persona to a new audience. It's no surprise, then, that The Rock, John Cena and Dave Bautista have all made similar jumps in recent years. Hogan leaves behind an everlasting imprint on the wrestling world. Unfortunately, it comes with multiple asterisks; however, that doesn't change what he achieved as the first global wrestling star.
Top NHL analyst Stephan Roget of 'Canucks Army' believes the Canucks could definitely offer sheet Mason McTavish or Marco Rossi, but they likely won't. Offer sheets remain one of the less common NHL deals, so a midsummer offer sheet from the Vancouver Canucks would remain highly unlikely. The player must be a restricted free agent (RFA) to be offer-sheet eligible, and come mid-July, there are not many remaining who are. Two of them are strong possibilities for whom the Canucks would consider making an offer sheet: Anaheim Ducks' Mason McTavish and Minnesota Wild's Marco Rossi. And offer sheets are a two-part process. Your team has to first make an offer. And then there has to be acceptance of a player before his current team is in a position to counter. That is uncertainty enough. Any offer sheet from the Canucks would have to be at least $11.7 million per year The Canucks would only be able to give Mason McTavish or Marco Rossi at the absolute highest compensation level, above $11.7 million annually. That would cost four protected first-rounders across five drafts to the Canucks. While both Rossi and McTavish would certainly appreciate an offer of this nature, whether either is truly worth this kind of investment of this size, especially for Vancouver, a club not comfortably in a playoff position, is questionable. 'As it stands, the Canucks are still eligible to make offer sheets to McTavish and Rossi - but only certain offer sheets. 'Whether it's realistic to expect a mid-summer offer sheet from the Canucks, is no'. - Stephan Roget Bottom line: While theoretically, a Canucks summer offer sheet is conceivable, too high a price, in cap space and future equity, makes it extremely unlikely, per NHL analyst Stephan Roget of 'Canucks Army.'
The Milwaukee Brewers took on the Miami Marlins on Friday and the game didn't go the way the Brewers likely hoped. Milwaukee lost 5-1 to drop its record to 61-42. The Brewers are one of the hottest teams in the game and arguably the best team in baseball overall, but even they could use more pieces. Milwaukee's biggest need is offense on the left side of the infield. As the club has heated up, Caleb Durbin has been at third base and Joey Ortiz has been the everyday shortstop. Ortiz specifically has struggled offensively. Ortiz entered play on Friday slashing .217/.273/.316 with seven homers and 31 RBIs. He went 0-for-2 on the day on Friday. The most interesting part of game, though, was the fact that Durbin got some action at shortstop late in the game. Recently, there has been rumors and speculation about the Brewers adding a guy like Eugenio Suárez to add a power bat to the middle of the lineup. He has 36 homers and a league-best 86 RBIs. Suárez is a third baseman so seeing Durbin getting a look at shortstop is interesting because the trade deadline just six days away. Landing someone like Suárez is the type of move that would take the Brewers to another level, but they clearly would also then need to make a tough decision in the infield. Durbin has been the everyday third baseman, but if they can move him to shortstop and open just the third base job, it just makes the Suárez buzz more interesting.
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