Former Jets QB shares massive Zach Wilson concern

Former New York Jets quarterback and current "The NFL Today" analyst Boomer Esiason said earlier this week he believes Jets signal-caller Zach Wilson "needs to get the hell out of" the New York area. 

Esiason expanded on that take during the latest edition of the "Amazin' Conversations with Jay Horwitz" podcast. 

"You just wonder if Zach has what it takes, especially in this market, to become that quarterback," Esiason explained, according to Manuel Gomez of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "I don’t think he has that. I think he needs to go somewhere else in a smaller market with a different offense, a different voice in his ear and get out of this noise market of the NFL." 

Jets head coach Robert Saleh benched Wilson multiple times last season before the club landed future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers this past spring. Rodgers going down with a torn Achilles in Week 1 forced Wilson back to the QB1 spot on the depth chart and the 4-5 Jets enter Week 11 responsible for what is, statistically speaking, one of the league's worst overall offenses. 

According to ESPN, Wilson began Thursday evening ranked 30th in the NFL among 32 qualified players with a 34.2 adjusted QBR on the season. He tossed just five touchdown passes and six interceptions over New York's first nine games. 

The Jets' decision not to acquire a more proven player at the position ahead of the trade deadline leaves Wilson as the starter over both unproven backup Tim Boyle and practice squad option Trevor Siemian. There's no indication Saleh would turn to Boyle if Wilson endures a rough first half during this Sunday's game at the 5-5 Buffalo Bills that's massive for both AFC East clubs. 

"...There’s a lot of learning still yet to be done," Esiason said about Wilson. "I just don’t see the future for Zach Wilson being a part of the Jets after 2023." 

Rodgers accepted a significant pay cut before the campaign that should keep him on New York's active roster through Feb. 2025. Esiason suggested that Wilson has done nothing this fall to remove Rodgers from the team's plans for next season. 

"He’s 30 games into his career," Esiason added about Wilson, according to Ryan Gilbert of Audacy. "You usually get a really good handle as to whether or not a kid has grasped the enormity of what he’s doing and able to process the field as quickly as you need to be." 

As of early Thursday evening, oddschecker listed the Jets as seven-point underdogs against the Buffalo Bills.