Zach Wilson, the quarterback for the New York Jets, suffered yet another devastating blow when he was benched on Monday due to his historically bad offensive performance. Wilson was once thought to be the team’s future.
Wilson, who might have played his final game for the Jets, was benched for the third time in the previous thirteen months. Tim Boyle, who will start Friday at MetLife Stadium against the Miami Dolphins, will take the spot of the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft.
Coach Robert Saleh said that Trevor Siemian will be Boyle’s backup, but all three quarterbacks will be active for Friday’s game.
The Jets’ long-term strategy, supported by Aaron Rodgers, called for Wilson to learn under Rodgers for a year or two before taking the field again. This change has ramifications for Wilson. Now that Wilson has maneuvered his way out of the No. 2 position, that seems unlikely.
On the fifth play of the season, Wilson was forced into action after Rodgers suffered an Achilles tear. Under Wilson, the Jets had the worst red zone and third-down efficiency in modern history and managed just nine touchdown drives in almost ten complete games.
Wilson was supported by coach Robert Saleh, who joined the team in 2021, until Sunday night, when he was benched late in the third quarter of the team’s 32-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills. After that, Saleh was evasive about his quarterback plans, which was a dead giveaway that he was losing patience.
“After the game, after a 7-for-15, 81-yard performance in which he failed to complete a single pass to a wide receiver, change has to be made, and I understand that,” Wilson said.
For the season, Wilson is ranked 30th out of 31 qualified passers in QBR (30.7), with only six touchdown passes. In three years, he’s 11-20 as a starter, with 21 touchdowns and 25 interceptions.
After Wilson was benched twice in the previous season, the team decided to acquire Rodgers. Joe Douglas, the general manager of the Jets, made a potentially disastrous decision by keeping Wilson as Aaron Rodgers’ backup rather than bringing in a seasoned veteran.
Wilson has a contract through 2024 and has little chance of exercising his 2025 fifth-year option. May 2024 is the early deadline.
