Zach Wilson’s second year with the Jets has been tumultuous to say the least.
The second-year quarterback was expected to lead a New York team that set high expectations for itself. The Jets are on the playoff bubble heading into their Week 17 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, but Wilson has not been consistent this year.
The 23-year-old’s season seemingly reached a boiling point when Wilson refused to take accountability for a Week 11 loss to the New England Patriots. It appeared the young QB had lost the locker room, which favored fifth-year signal-caller Mike White.
However, head coach Robert Saleh continued to defend Wilson publicly and stated after the team’s Week 16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars the team would not give up on him.
White will be the starter Sunday, but Saleh’s comments reportedly aren’t just for show. Jets general manager Joe Douglas reportedly does not plan to shop Wilson this offseason, sources told NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
“The team views Wilson as an incredibly hard worker, a good teammate and very smart,” Rapoport wrote Sunday. “He has handled his demotions well and kept working. As one source said simply, ‘He’s going to get better.’ “
Rapoport also noted things could change depending on how the NFL offseason shakes out, but the Jets retain financial flexibility over the No. 2 pick of the 2021 draft. Plus, Wilson’s stock is as low as it can be, so it’s unlikely New York would get the compensation it would want if it traded him.
The decision does not theoretically rule the Jets out of the quarterback market. They still could sign someone like Jimmy Garoppolo or acquire Derek Carr and keep Wilson as the backup.
