Is the Zach Wilson Era Over in New York?
The second-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Zach Wilson, has been benched by the New York Jets who selected him to be their franchise quarterback just over two years ago. Moving forward the Jets will start Tim Boyle and have Trevor Siemian handle the backup duties. New York has relegated Wilson from the starter to the third-string quarterback on the team.
After a rough rookie season where Wilson threw more interceptions than he did touchdowns, Wilson again struggled in his second year before being benched. Heading into his third season this year, Wilson didn’t expect to play with Aaron Rodgers joining the team. He was almost immediately forced to be the starter after Rodgers got hurt just four plays into the season.
It was an up and down season for Wilson up until this point. He was winning some big games and played well at times but he never looked like a quarterback that could lead a winning playoff team. Following a bad loss to Buffalo where they lost 6-32, the Jets made the decision to bench Wilson for good this time.
Once drafted as a player who was supposed to be the savior of this franchise just two seasons ago, Wilson may already be done on the Jets. His contract does take him through next season but four million of the five million dollars that the Jets would have to pay him next season is not guaranteed if he doesn’t make the roster.
If Wilson is not good enough to even be the backup to Aaron Rodgers next year, then it would make sense that they would cut him this offseason. With 21 touchdowns and 25 interceptions over three seasons on a 56% completion percentage, Wilson has less than impressive career numbers.
The most likely scenario is that Wilson is cut to save the Jets over four million dollars following this season and then he is picked up by another team with a shot to make their roster. An additional scenario could be that the Jets bring him back on a smaller deal or even keep him at his current deal in hopes that he can improve behind Rodgers next year.
For Zach Wilson it was a steep fall from grace. He was expected to be the quarterback of the future for the Jets and was ultimately benched less than two years into his career. This season filling in for Aaron Rodgers could have been his last chance with the team. After being benched this week it appears he has blown this final opportunity.
The Jets will move on with Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian at quarterback. Unless both of them get injured or are exceedingly worse than Wilson, it is unlikely that Wilson gets another chance this season to play.
By Jack Stradley, I’m a sports writer always looking for a gripping story and a hot take.