Insider addresses future of Jets' Zach Wilson

NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated thinks quarterback Zach Wilson could still have a future with a New York Jets team that landed Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers this past spring depending on all that occurs before March 2025. 

"It’s hard to imagine the Jets see enough from Wilson this year, barring an injury to Rodgers, to pick up a fifth-year option for 2025 that would cost more than $20M," Breer explained in a mailbag posted on Thursday. "That’d mean Wilson will play this year and next as a backup, and is free that spring, and then the Jets would have to make a decision on him—which obviously would be affected by whether Rodgers is still around." 

Wilson spent spring and summer practices learning behind Rodgers after the second overall pick of the 2021 draft was benched on multiple occasions last season by Jets head coach Robert Saleh. 

Rodgers' injury history since October 2022 keeps the door cracked for Wilson to take some meaningful snaps this fall, but the fact that Rodgers agreed to a massive pay cut in July suggests he plans to play through at least the final campaign of Wilson's current contract, if not longer. 

"If Rodgers isn’t (around after the 2024 season), and Wilson is developed, I’d imagine he would want to stay and he’d be more valuable to the Jets, at that point, than any other team," Breer continued. "If Rodgers were to play a third year in Jersey, different story."

One option for the Jets could be to hand Wilson a one-year extension that essentially would replace a fifth-year option, similar to how the Packers offered signal-caller Jordan Love some financial security without guaranteeing he will be their long-term replacement for Rodgers past the upcoming season. 

If, however, the Jets fail to win the Super Bowl this coming February and Wilson then plays well in preseason games next August, Gang Green theoretically could shop the 24-year-old in an attempt to give Rodgers a final needed piece to pursue a title before the four-time NFL Most Valuable Player rides off into the sunset.