Sunday afternoon was a must win game for the New York Jets in Buffalo. The Jets were 4-5, losers of consecutive games, and the offense had been riding a streak of 36 consecutive drives without a touchdown. The orchestrator of the offense during those drives? Zach Wilson. After seeing enough of what Wilson couldn’t do against Buffalo, head coach Robert Saleh yanked Wilson in favor of Tim Boyle. Jets fans have been begging Saleh to make the move after several unproductive weeks. During Monday afternoon’s press conference, Saleh made the announcement that Wilson will be yeeted into the sun demoted to third string in favor of Boyle for Black Friday’s game.
The decision made it clear in the eyes of their fans: the Jets will likely move on from Zach Wilson. And It’s the best decision going forward.
One Step Forward, Ten Steps Back
Embed from Getty ImagesWhen the New York Jets drafted Zach Wilson back in 2021, they put their faith in a quarterback who started one full season of college football. This strategy is not new to the Jets; they have done it in years past (see Mark Sanchez). General manager Joe Douglas must’ve seen something we all didn’t during Wilson’s pro day and fell in love with the kid’s skills. But the biggest mistake the Jets made was starting Wilson in his rookie season. Rather than let Wilson sit behind veteran Joe Flacco, they wanted him to start right away. For the entirety of Wilson’s career, he’s taken ten steps back for every one step he’s taken forward. For example: Wilson looked like his days at BYU when he went head-to-head against Patrick Mahomes in Week 4. Ever since then? He’s back to playing like a rookie.
The Babying of Zach Wilson
Embed from Getty ImagesEver since the New York Jets drafted Zach Wilson, his biggest defender has been Robert Saleh. In press conference after press conference, Jets fans have heard the following expressions and phrases from Saleh about Wilson:
“He’s almost there.”
“He’s getting close.”
“We don’t want to hurt his confidence.”
Following Sunday’s performance in Buffalo, however, Saleh was at a loss for words. When asked whether Wilson would start on Friday against Miami, he basically said he didn’t have an answer for the press. But Saleh’s success is tied to Wilson’s success and with Wilson’s miserable history so far as an NFL quarterback, Saleh’s record is reflected just as such. While I understand that Saleh has a role in Wilson’s development, it doesn’t help Wilson to treat him with kid gloves. However, Wilson has had many opportunities to improve his game – and yet, he hasn’t.
Lack of Progress
Embed from Getty ImagesAfter the New York Jets pushed in their chips on Zach Wilson, Joe Douglas has done everything in his own power to help Wilson. He’s drafted talented players on offense such as wide receiver Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall. He has bolstered the offensive line by drafting Alijah Vera-Tucker (in the same draft class as Wilson) and signing Laken Tomlinson. With all the improvements the Jets have bent over backwards to help Wilson, the quarterback’s game has continually regressed. When he’s in the pocket, he doesn’t throw to the receivers that we all see he should throw to. He’ll take sacks when he doesn’t have to. He’ll commit turnovers at the worst time (see: fumble vs. Kansas City, interception vs. Denver). Last week’s statistical line tells the story of what the Zach Wilson Era has been like: 7-for-15, 81 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, five sacks. Even with management bringing in Aaron Rodgers to help mentor Wilson, he is making mistake after mistake.
Shut It Down
Embed from Getty ImagesFollowing last season’s debacle in New England, the New York Jets shut down Zach Wilson for the rest of the season. He was inactive in the hopes he would learn how to be an NFL quarterback by watching from the sidelines. After the acquisition of Rodgers, management hoped Wilson would sit behind the four-time league MVP in the hopes of one day taking over his role. Now with Rodgers making a miraculous comeback and Wilson likely inactive for the foreseeable future, it appears the Zach Wilson Era will come to a bitter end.
Like most quarterbacks the Jets have drafted in the past, we want each one to succeed. We hope they’ll be the ones to take the Jets to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, Zach Wilson joins another long list of quarterbacks to be added to the elephant graveyard of this franchise.
