Jets give QB Zach Wilson permission to seek a trade
The Zach Wilson era with the New York Jets is all but over. On Wednesday, during his media availability at the NFL Combine, Jets general manager Joe Douglas said the team gave Wilson and his representation permission to seek a trade. The decision is not a surprise, since rumors of the Jets' decision to move […]
The Zach Wilson era with the New York Jets is all but over. On Wednesday, during his media availability at the NFL Combine, Jets general manager Joe Douglas said the team gave Wilson and his representation permission to seek a trade.
The decision is not a surprise, since rumors of the Jets' decision to move on from Wilson are not new. During the season, for example, Wilson had been benched with the idea of moving him later — but he ended up back in the lineup when the Tim Boyle experiment went badly.
Earlier this year, Jets' owner Woody Johnson said getting a better backup quarterback was a priority.
"You need a backup quarterback," Johnson said. "We didn't have one last year."
Zach Wilson was the second overall pick by the New York Jets in the 2021 draft. He had started two seasons for the Jets, and his performance was underwhelming at best. He had a 59.3 PFF grade in 2021, and a 46.6 grade in 2022. After that, the Jets decided to go in another direction.
The Jets' plan last season, after acquiring Aaron Rodgers, was to sit Zach Wilson for a year with the expectation he would have time to develop. However, Rodgers got hurt in his first regular season drive, and Wilson ended up starting 11 games.
In 2023, Wilson had the best passer rating of his career, but it was still a below average 77.2. His PFF grade was 58.2 — but he also had his best passing grade in the NFL, at 57.2. The Jets won four of Wilson's 11 starts, but for the most part because the team had one of the best defenses in the league.
Contract
The team that acquires Zach Wilson will absorb $5.453 million in salary in 2024. The Jets will have $5.731 million in dead money. The new team would also have the right to exercise or not Wilson's fifth-year option for 2025, but that would presumably not be picked up because the move would guarantee $22.4 million for Wilson next year.
Realistically, the Jets will not get a high compensation, but any trade would be a positive to free up the franchise from Zach Wilson's fully guaranteed base salary.
In the case of a release, the Jets would have $11.184 million in dead money and no cap savings.
Depth
If or when Zach Wilson is traded, Aaron Rodgers will be the only quarterback on the Jets 90-man roster. Trevor Siemian and Brett Rypien, who finished the season with the team, are slated to be unrestricted free agents.
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