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Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — It wasn’t a formal farewell, but New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas spoke of Zach Wilson — his onetime quarterback of the present and future — in the past tense. Basically, he was waving the white flag on the organization’s highest-drafted player in 28 years.
“Zach had a great training camp, and we felt that we had a good plan in place,” Douglas said Monday, with resignation in his voice. “Obviously, things didn’t work.”
Douglas said there’s a “high probability” the Jets will pursue a veteran in the offseason to back up Aaron Rodgers, which means Wilson’s days are numbered. How it got to this point will be debated for years. Did Wilson fail the organization or vice versa? The bottom line is, the once-promising marriage between the Jets and Wilson — drafted No. 2 overall in 2021 — is headed for splitsville.
Notably, Wilson avoided the media on Monday — aka baggy day. One teammate said he’d shocked if Wilson is on the team next season, noting how the quarterback became openly frustrated after his Week 12 benching. Even Rodgers, Wilson’s most ardent supporter, seemed to advocate a change of address.
“I love Zach and I want what’s best for Zach, and if he wants to be here and if that’s what’s best for him, then obviously I’d love that to have that relationship for another year,” Rodgers said. “But I want what’s best for him and where he wants to be. Sometimes a change of scenery, as I know, can be a breath of fresh air. It’s good to be able to have a new start sometimes.”
The Jets will have to alter their succession plan. Their hope was to have Wilson learn from Rodgers for two years, then have him ascend to the big chair. It didn’t seem practical, as Wilson’s contract expires in 2025, but that’s what the Jets were selling. Rodgers, too, was all-in on that idea, once saying, “I’d like to play a few good years and then hand it off to Zach for the next 15.”
Rodgers experienced that philosophy first-hand with the Green Bay Packers. The Jets aren’t the Packers.
Wilson, pressed into action when Rodgers tore his left Achilles on the fourth snap of the season, struggled in an offense designed for the four-time MVP. The coaches were slow to adjust and injuries piled up on the offensive line, and eventually Wilson was replaced by career journeyman Tim Boyle.
By the time he got back in the lineup, teammates said, Wilson was upset with the organization. Despite a report that said he was reluctant to play, he embraced the opportunity publicly, specifically saying he was loyal to the locker room. It was a not-so-subtle message to the organization.
Wilson, who missed the last three games with a concussion, finished 30th out of 30 qualified passers in Total QBR (30.4). His career QBR (33.5) ranks 108th out of 112 quarterbacks since 2000, based on a minimum of 900 attempts.
“It would have been great for Zach to have one watch year,” Douglas said. “That was the intent for this year. I think one of the biggest things that I hate for Zach is that he never got to experience in-season Aaron Rodgers, to watch Aaron navigate the highs and lows of a regular season and learn and be around that this year.”
Douglas made Wilson the QB2 despite his struggles in 2021 and 2022 — a risky choice, considering the team’s championship expectations. He doubled down on Wilson when Rodgers suffered his season-ending injury — decisions that probably contributed to the team’s disappointing 7-10 season. They wound up playing four quarterbacks (Trevor Siemian was the fourth) and finished with a league-low 11 touchdown passes.
In retrospect, Douglas admitted the backup plan was a mistake.
“Hindsight is always 20/20, so it’s easy to go back and say, ‘Woulda, coulda, shoulda,'” he said. “But what in our process was wrong? You try to take all the information you have at hand and make the best decision you can make with that information … and make sure we don’t make the same mistake twice.”
The Jets are expected to trade Wilson, hoping to recoup a late-round draft pick. There’s no guarantee they will find a taker. The Deseret News, a newspaper in his home state of Utah, reported last month Wilson was told by the team that he will be traded. The Jets haven’t denied that report. Asked if he’s open to dealing Wilson, Douglas said he’s willing to listen to offers and will do what’s best for the team.
One of the offseason priorities is to secure a proven backup. The top free agents will be Gardner Minshew, Ryan Tannehill, Jacoby Brissett and Tyrod Taylor. The Jets have a connection to Tannehill; passing-game coordinator Todd Downing coached him in Tennessee. Jimmy Garoppolo could be interesting if he’s released by the Las Vegas Raiders; coach Robert Saleh knows him from their San Francisco days.
The Jets are a win-now team with a 40-year-old quarterback, coming off a major injury, so they can’t afford to nickel-and-dime the backup position. They weren’t supposed to be in this position, but the plan got destroyed. Perhaps trying to save face, Douglas noted that Wilson improved “on every metric” in 2023 — a largely accurate statement.
“Ultimately, like a lot of my decisions — or the team — it wasn’t good enough,” Douglas said.