Why Robert Saleh Confident In Zach Wilson After Aaron Rodgers’ Injury

The New York Jets hoped the trade for Aaron Rodgers would give Zach Wilson time to development instead of having to be thrust into weekly game plans and identifying in-game coverages.

That hope lasted the 2023 offseason and four regular-season plays.

Following the season-ending Achilles injury that Rodgers suffered during New York’s Week 1 game against the Buffalo Bills, Wilson was forced to grab his helmet and lead the Jets offense. It took less than four minutes from Wilson to go from the all-is-good backup to the starting quarterback of a team which entered the season with Super Bowl expectations.

Given how the Jets spoke about Wilson leading up to the trade for Rodgers, and following the acquisition, it’s a bit awkward Wilson now is leading the group. He was the plan for the future, not the present.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh, however, told reporters he remains confident in Wilson’s growth. It’s why he is set take over as the starter.

“We are going to look through some things, but I do want to make it very clear: Zach is our quarterback,” Saleh told reporters Tuesday when asked if the Jets would kick the tires on a veteran backup, per the team. “We got a lot of faith in Zach, we’re really excited about his opportunity.”

Wilson played so bad during the 2022 season the Jets were forced to start Mike White and Joe Flacco in four games each. Wilson was benched after an abysmal Week 11 performance against the New England Patriots, which Saleh hoped would be a “reset,” and benched again in Week 16 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Saleh, though, believes Wilson is not the same player from, well, 10 months ago.

“From a mental standpoint, he’s so much different than this time a year ago,” Saleh said. “He’s in a great frame of mind, he’s loving the game of football, he’s loving the process that he’s going through. He’s got a lot of confidence. All the little things that we saw in college, that he was struggling with a year ago, are not the same struggles that he had. He’s fixed a lot of things, a lot of things.”

Wilson was benched before Week 12 last season because, as Saleh put it, he got away from “basic, fundamental” things.

“Obviously, he will acknowledge he still has a lot things to learn and grow and we’re excited to be able to do that with him. I think he’s been able to rebuild rapport with his teammates and just the way he’s handled himself has been fantastic,” Saleh said, then clarifying he meant to say “confidence” with his teammates.

“But everything about him is just so much different than a year ago,” Saleh continued. “Like I said, is it happening faster than I think anyone else expected? Obviously, under the circumstances. But he’s somebody that has made a drastic improvement from a year ago.”

Wilson will have his first chance to prove Saleh correct on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, who shut out the New York Giants in Week 1 behind a dominant defensive effort. The Cowboys are a 9.5-point home favorite against the Jets.