Sunday against the Cowboys will be a very important start for Zach Wilson, as Gio believes a rough game will cause his teammates to turn on him again, and quickly.
“The Jets aren’t going to sit and watch their season go down the toilet because of the one problem they have at the quarterback position,” Gio said. “They’re just not gonna do it…they’re gonna have to do something. For his sake and for the Jets’ sake, this is such a miserable spot for him to come in and start…he needs to look the part and earn the respect of his teammates on the field in this game. If that means standing in there like Kirk Cousins and getting his ass beat and getting up and saying the right things…they can lose this game and Zach Wilson can still earn the respect of his teammates in the locker room.
“These guys came in with the idea that they were gonna put a Super Bowl ring on their finger at the end of the year. If this guy starts holding them back, you’re gonna see the Tim f----g Boyle shirts come up next, because that’s exactly what we saw last year, and not much has changed.”
The Jets locker room clearly didn’t love Wilson last year, collectively rejoicing when Mike White was named the starter, and having a similar reaction when Aaron Rodgers was brought in this offseason. If the team feels like they are still a quarterback away from contending this year, it could quickly get ugly if Wilson struggles.
“You can lose this game and still take a step forward, but you can also take a huge step back,” Gio said. “You can say something stupid in a press conference, you can throw a pick when the defense is shutting down the Cowboys…he’s gotta do something to earn the respect of the fans and his teammates in the locker room, because he hasn’t done it on the field.”