New York Jets fans all knew when the 2022 season ended, that Zach Wilson wasn’t the guy. Even the staunchest of Wilson fans saw that the kid was just not ready to lead an NFL, and it didn’t matter what you put around him.

The same Jets fans laughed when Wilson, knowing that he would be replaced by a veteran this season, said he would “make that dude’s life hell in practice every day”. What could he possibly show the Jets and the fans that would alter their views of him? Wilson’s story with the Jets was written and it was time for him to fade into the background until he disappeared from the team altogether. 

But, what if he did it? What if he progressed and continued to get better? What if he embraced the circumstances given to him and took the opportunity to learn under Aaron Rodgers and Nathaniel Hackett? What if he humbled himself and figured out how to use his incredible arm talent to round himself into a starting QB in the NFL?

It’s admittedly far-fetched to say that he has done all that in one offseason and after one week of OTAs, but every journey needs to start with a single step. Wilson had gone on to say after the infamous “living hell” comments that "I'm gonna go out there and do my best to show the coaches that I deserve to be there. It's not in a negative way, it's in a positive way. It's making everybody else better, hopefully."

That’s at least respectable. That’s the perfect thing to say. It shows confidence (where you would assume he has none), humility and the right mindset. It sounds amazing, but saying one thing and doing another is too often the case in demotions like the one Zach is experiencing right now.

Unless he actually follows through with his comments and continues to get better.

Speaking on the God Bless Football Podcast, ESPN NFL reporter Dianna Russini had glowing things to say about what she saw from the former No. 2 overall pick in Jets OTAs.

“Look, what did he say? He was going to give that starter hell, right? That’s what he’s doing,” said Russini.

When host Jon “Stugotz” Weiner pressed her on Wilson, and asked if he actually really looked good, Russini who attended Jets OTA said she had to double check her own eyes.

“It was odd, I was like “wow.” I wanted to make sure my eyes were seeing the right thing, cause sometimes you think people are doing what they’re supposed to but they're not even running the right script. So I actually called a couple of coaches after practice to talk about Aaron, and, Zach came up and one coach offered up, he's like, 'Zach looked good, right?' I was like, yeah, he looked really good. So, look, I think that's great news.” – ESPN’s Dianna Russini on the God Bless Football Podcast

Maybe Wilson’s days with the Jets aren’t over like we originally thought. Maybe he can figure out how to use physical talent to become more than a kid with a cannon arm. Or, maybe this is hyperbole and he is the same Zach Wilson we saw throw for 92 yards and a 50% completion rate against the Jacksonville Jaguars just a few months ago.

Wilson has one clear path to returning to a starting role in the NFL. Learn, progress and grow behind Aaron Rodgers and leave no doubt in the coach’s minds that he can handle being the leader of the Jets when Rodgers finally retires. There won’t be any teams itching to sign him when he becomes a free agent to be a starter, and frankly the list is probably short right now of teams that would want him as their backup.

His value is only based on his draft selection and not on anything he has shown since, therefore he will have the most value for the team that used that draft pick to select him: the Jets. 

It was a good first step for the 23-year-old. But to go from what Jets fans have seen to what they expect is a long road.