The Zach Wilson era of New York Jets football is all but over. After three seasons of poor quarterback play and the return of veteran Aaron Rodgers, New York is well aware that it needs an upgrade at backup quarterback.
With Wilson’s fifth-year option bound to be declined, the former second-overall pick is a likely candidate to be traded.
Hall of Fame quarterback – and fellow BYU product – Steve Young revealed the environment that would be most conducive to Wilson’s rebound, should he be traded. On “The Adam Schefter Podcast,” Young remained optimistic about the passer but stressed the importance of his next team.
“To me, the place he needs to be is in L.A.,” Young said. “Go with Sean McVay, follow [Matthew] Stafford, and just sit there and watch the magic and see if you can pick it up. If you can, then you can be one of the best because you have the talent for it. But he has to get to one of those spots.”
Wilson’s arm talent and ability to win out of structure saw him rise from an unknown college quarterback to the top few picks of the 2021 NFL Draft. However, struggles to make enough of the routine plays in structure eroded his playmaking ability and consistently set the Jets’ offense behind the sticks.
His supporting cast hasn’t been much help. Despite the explosive plays that receiver Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall provide, a poor, injured offensive line and an inadequate group of pass catchers only added to New York’s struggles. Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett failed to put the Jets in position to win, and Wilson floundered without the assistance that young quarterbacks need.
The Rams offer a more welcoming environment than New York could offer in virtually every sense. McVay is one of the league’s best coaches, and if the consistent poaching staff is indicative of anything, it’s that his ability to build a coaching staff is impeccable. Los Angeles’ offensive line and running game performed better than the Jets by a wide margin, and star receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua made life easy for Stafford.
In terms of the supporting cast he’d be walking into, the Rams have to be toward the top of the list.
“There’s these innovative minds taking advantage of rule changes,” Young said. “He needs to get to one of those spots. He needs to join forces. If we’re going to see anything out of Zach Wilson in the future, he needs to get away from these places that are not quarterback-friendly.”
Sitting behind Stafford would be beneficial to Wilson, who found his relationship with Rodgers less fruitful than initially anticipated. Few coaches take advantage of their quarterback’s strengths better than McVay, and the infrastructure isn’t crumbling the quarterback position.
There’s a long road back to relevancy and merely competency for Wilson, but getting away from the pressures of New York and into a well-positioned, incubator of an organization could be the best shot Wilson has at redeeming himself as an NFL quarterback.
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