Richard Sherman: Mike White is Jets' franchise QB over Zach Wilson

Richard Sherman clearly thinks the New York Jets should stick with Mike White as their starting quarterback over Zach Wilson.

"If [he] was the No. 2 pick in the draft, if we just took everything away and swapped the stories of Zach Wilson and Mike White, and it was just Mike White drafted No. 2, and he’s playing this well and his teammates are saying this about him, you’d be like, they made the right pick, they’ve got a franchise guy," the former All-Pro cornerback and current "Thursday Night Football" analyst explained during the latest edition of his podcast, per Jesse Pantuosco of Audacy. "But since he was a fifth-round pick, since he’s an unheralded guy, you’re not talking about, 'well they found their franchise quarterback.'" 

White, a fifth-round choice from the 2018 NFL draft, shifted to the top of the New York depth chart last week after head coach Robert Saleh benched Wilson for multiple reasons. The 27-year-old then completed 22-of-28 pass attempts for 315 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in this past Sunday's 31-10 blowout win over the Chicago Bears as Wilson, the No. 2 pick from the 2021 draft, was an inactive spectator. 

"[White] is a franchise quarterback," Sherman added during his comments on the subject. "It went from an anemic offense to, 'Oh my god, look how many playmakers they have on the field.'" 

Thus far, White has appeared in six regular-season games with the Jets since September 2021 and completed a total of 110-of-160 passes (68.8%) for 1,268 yards with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions. In seven contests this season, Wilson connected on 105-of-189 pass attempts (55.6%) for 1,279 yards with four touchdowns and five picks before he was relegated to scout team duties. 

Unless Saleh sees something special from Wilson during midweek practice sessions, it's widely assumed White will start when the 7-4 Jets play at the 9-2 Minnesota Vikings this Sunday.