Mike White opens up about Zach Wilson benching, reputation

Free agent-to-be Mike White has opened up about New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh benching quarterback Zach Wilson in November. 

"He is a good kid," White said of Wilson during a Friday appearance on WQAM out of Miami, as shared by Lou DiPietro of Audacy. "It was one bad interview taken out of context after a rough game, and that happens. I’m not condoning it, but it happens, and I think it all spiraled out of control from there." 

White was specifically referencing how Wilson initially refused to say he and his offense "let the defense down" shortly after a demoralizing 10-3 loss at the New England Patriots in Week 11 on Nov. 20. Saleh responded by sitting Wilson in favor of White until he was sidelined with broken ribs. 

Jets tight end C.J. Uzomah later confirmed that Wilson "rubbed the team the wrong way" with his post-game performance. Wilson was eventually benched for good due to poor play, and the Jets haven't been shy about courting the likes of Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers and free agent Derek Carr this winter. 

At the NFL Combine this week, Jets general manager Joe Douglas insisted he still believes Wilson "has a very high ceiling." White backed the second-overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft during Friday's interview. 

"All he wants to do is perform and play well and win," White added about Wilson. "He’s a good kid and I’m confident he’ll bounce back. Whatever happens next, wherever it happens, he’ll use this as motivation and learn from it and get better." 

White has made it known he'd like to return to the Jets, possibly for an opportunity to start and also to continue working with Wilson. He suggested the two of them would enjoy a positive relationship inside the team's quarterback room. 

"It is a really close-knit locker room and quarterback room as well, we all supported each other and it was a healthy environment," White explained. "There weren’t any awkward moments at all where there could’ve been, everyone was super professional. From the outside looking in you might not think so, but we didn’t skip a beat no matter who was playing."

If the Jets miss out on Rodgers and Carr, bringing White back to compete for QB1 duties could go from a fan suggestion to a legitimate option for the club when the new league year opens on March 15.