Is Jets' Robert Saleh being forced to play Zach Wilson?

New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh insisted while speaking with reporters Tuesday that he's sticking with struggling quarterback Zach Wilson in part because Wilson isn't all that's wrong with the team's offense this season. 

Saleh addressed the topic somewhat differently during an appearance on ESPN New York's "The Michael Kay Show." 

Per Sam Neumann of Awful Announcing, Kay directly asked Saleh why the coach won't at least consider giving practice squad option Trevor Siemian "a try" as a way to spark the team's offense for this Sunday's primetime game at the 4-5 Las Vegas Raiders. 

"You know, like I said…You got me," Saleh curiously remarked during his response. "I’m gonna plead the fifth all on this one in terms of, I kind of explained it, respectively, obviously." 

Saleh added he has to "make the decisions as best as possible" regarding who to play with the Jets at 4-4. While ESPN stats show Wilson is ranked 31st out of 32 eligible signal-callers with a 32.3 adjusted QBR on the season, the Jets are ranked 31st in the NFL with an average of 272.9 offensive yards per game. 

Saleh benched Wilson on multiple occasions last season and ultimately shut the 24-year-old down for Week 18. Understandably, "The Michael Kay Show" co-host Don La Greca asked Saleh why the coach won't go to either Siemian or fellow backup Tim Boyle this week. 

"Hypothetically, that’s more hypothetical," Saleh said. "I will say this, last year’s decision, with respect to last year’s decision, came because of a loss in confidence that I don’t think I had ever seen in a quarterback before. Things that people didn’t see, even though you saw it on the football field on gameday, it was even louder off the field with regards to practices and meetings and all that. And so, it was more of an effort to try to save him and his confidence because I felt like every time I put him out there, it was gonna get worse." 

Individuals such as La Greca and Andrew Crane of the New York Post didn't buy what Saleh tried to sell. La Greca directly wondered if general manager Joe Douglas or team owner Woody Johnson is essentially forcing Saleh to play Wilson, in part because the Jets drafted the young quarterback second overall in 2021. For what it's worth, it's known that Wilson shares a strong relationship with injured starter Aaron Rodgers.  

On Wednesday, Saleh told media members nobody's making him start Wilson and that everyone involved is "on the same page."