Dolphins' Zach Wilson discusses what he took away from failed Jets tenure

The New York Jets made Zach Wilson the second overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft but unceremoniously shipped the quarterback to the Denver Broncos after his third NFL season. 

Now with the Miami Dolphins, Wilson recently opened up about the positives he has taken from his Jets tenure.

"That’s what I’ve tried to do since I went through the entire New York experience, is trying to be more myself and focus on more just enjoying the game, enjoying learning, enjoying the failures, the process, everything that comes with it, not getting too hard on yourself when you make a mistake, just trying to learn and do my best and get better," Wilson explained, as shared by Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.

Not long after then-Jets head coach Robert Saleh acknowledged in January 2024 that he wished the club "would have probably given [Wilson] that first year" to learn about being an NFL quarterback as a backup, ESPN analyst and former signal-caller Dan Orlovsky noted that he believed Gang Green "failed" Wilson. That said, Wilson isn't entirely blameless regarding all that went wrong during his three campaigns with the club. 

Specifically, Wilson angered some teammates when he declined to accept responsibility for the failures of the New York offense shortly after a loss in November 2022. A report from December 2023 claimed that Wilson was "reluctant to step back into the starting role" that season following what became the final benching of his Jets stint. 

Wilson went 12-21 as a starter with the Jets before he spent the 2024 season as an unused backup with the Broncos. He's now sharing a depth chart with Miami QB1 Tua Tagovailoa and rookie Quinn Ewers, but it's unclear if Wilson will enter Week 1 as the team's primary backup.

"I think having that focus and that mindset is what’s going to get you to where you want to be, not dwelling over a mistake," Wilson continued. "Everyone’s just out here trying to help each other get better, especially the coaches. They’re trying to help me be the best player I can be."

The often-injured Tagovailoa missed six games last season due to injury setbacks, and he has suffered three reported concussions since the fall of 2022. History suggests Wilson could receive an opportunity to revive his career with the Dolphins this coming fall unless he is outplayed by Ewers during preseason games.