It’s been a little bit of a bumpy road for rookie quarterbacks to this point in the 2021 NFL season, though there are signs of life starting to emerge. Following Week 3, their overall record was 1-10, with New England Patriots rookie Mac Jones picking up the lone win of the season in a game that featured another rookie quarterback on the other side - Zach Wilson of the New York Jets.
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Following Week 5 action this past weekend, we’ve seen some brighter performances from the 2021 rookie class. Trevor Lawrence had solid games in back-to-back efforts, though they were losses, with three total touchdowns and only one turnover. Jones picked up win No. 2 on the season in Week 5 against the Houston Texans, but it was the rookie on the other side — Davis Mills — who really impressed with 312 yards, three touchdowns and zero turnovers against Bill Belichick’s defense.
And Wilson had a strong Week 4 outing, leading the Jets to an upset win over the Tennessee Titans, only to come crashing back down to earth in Week 5 with an ugly loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh isn’t hitting the panic button, or anything close to it, at this point in time. In fact, he’s using a current star in the division as an example of how tough the transition into NFL-level play can be.
“It's not easy being a rookie quarterback, never has been, never will be," Saleh said on the team’s official website (h/t Josh Alper of PFT). "Josh Allen, the first five games of his rookie year, the numbers were the same as what our guy is going through. I know it can be frustrating sometimes, but it's going to start clicking. It's a rollercoaster ride and you have to take the good with the good, and the bad with the bad."
Through five games, Wilson has a league-high nine interceptions to go along with four touchdowns, a 57.3% completion rate, 18 sacks taken and a passer rating of just 62.9. Through Allen’s first five starts, which came from Weeks 2 through 6 during the 2018 season, he had tossed five interceptions with just two touchdowns, a 55.7% completion rate, 18 sacks taken and a 62.5 passer rating.
Thanks to Stathead, we can take a look at some other quarterbacks who experienced the same woeful starts to their careers, using five interceptions, 15 sacks taken and less than a 70% passer rating as the parameters. There are 37 in all, including the prominent names that are selectively featured below:
If Wilson goes on to turn into John Elway, it's unlikely Jets fans will be all too upset about it. Only time will tell what he ultimately turns out to be — an All-Pro-caliber player, a solid starter or a disappointing draft bust — but it looks like he has the talent to give fans the hope they’ve been looking for in recent seasons.
A nice bye week could serve Wilson well before a road trip against the Patriots in Week 7, at which point he’ll try to turn things around.
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