Long before Thursday but especially after, many NFL pundits – including our full WFAN on-air staff, it seems – have expressed thoughts on Zach Wilson ranging from he shouldn’t take another snap as Jets quarterback to a flat belief he won’t.
Looks like the latter group may be right.
During his segment on Saturday’s FOX NFL Pregame Show, insider Jay Glazer was asked about the Jets’ situation, and this is what he had to say about Wilson:
“They’ve lost all confidence in Zach Wilson. Zach lost confidence himself going into that last game and came out with even less confidence – so expect the Jets to move on from him this offseason.”
With the mini-bye this weekend after Thursday’s loss, Mike White, who started three games in place of Wilson before getting hurt, has a few extra days to recover from what Glazer said are “multiple rib fractures,” and Glazer noted that “if he can come back healthy, he will start next week.”
If White can’t start next week in Seattle in what could be a win or go home game for both teams, the Jets will have a choice to make: go with Wilson, who was 9-for-18 for 92 yards and a pick Thursday, or start either Joe Flacco or Chris Streveler, the latter of whom replaced Wilson for the Jets’ final three drives and showed more in that span than Wilson has in two years, perhaps.
Related
If this is the end for Wilson either way, it’s an ignominious fall for the man who was drafted No. 2 overall behind Trevor Lawrence – whose Jags beat the Jets handily Thursday – in 2021. Over two seasons, Wilson has played in 22 games (missing time with three different injuries) and thrown for 4,022 yards and 15 touchdowns against 18 interceptions.
That’s bad enough, but in 16 games total during that span, the other four QBs the Jets have employed – White, Flacco, Streveler, and Josh Johnson – have been arguably more successful, with 3,659 yards and 19 touchdowns to 14 picks.
Wilson has fully-guaranteed salaries of $3.855 million in 2023 and $5.453 million in 2024, and outright releasing him as a pre-June 1 cut could cost the Jets almost $29 million in dead cap.
No matter who starts next week, though, Wilson may be a lame duck either way, as the Jets' playoff hopes will be further muddled by the results of the rest of the week. Through Saturday's early window, New England, Tennessee, and the Jets are all tied at 7-8, 1 1/2 games behind the 8-6 Chargers and 8-6 Dolphins for the two remaining AFC playoff spots, and the winner of Saturday night's Raiders-Steelers game will join that group. But, if both Miami (at Green Bay Sunday) and the Chargers (at Indianapolis Monday night) win this week, they'll be two up with two to play on the group, meaning the Jets would need to win out and get a lot of help.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram