Former Cincinnati Bengals great Chad Johnson has never been afraid to speak his mind. And his latest opinion may pique some interest in Jets fans.
Johnson recently spoke with Sports Illustrated to discuss a variety of topics, one of which being Jets quarterback Zach Wilson. It’s safe to say Johnson is a fan of Wilson’s game. His comparison for Wilson? Just some guy named Patrick Mahomes.
“Zach is extremely good,” Johnson said in an interview with Sports Illustrated last week. “He has the ‘it’ factor – very Patrick Mahomes-ish. I’m not saying he’s Patrick Mahomes, but you watch his mechanics, his throwing motion, the way he moves, he’s very Patrick Mahomes-ish. So I became a fan. … Zach Wilson is gonna flourish; he’s gonna flourish in New York. It’s all about (Jets head coach Robert) Saleh … getting the right pieces around him. He and Elijah Moore, this year, they gonna create magic.”
“I say this all the time when it comes to young quarterbacks, the better the supporting cast, the easier their job becomes, where the onus isn’t just on him to get the job done,” Johnson added.
That supporting cast includes not only the returning Moore, but rookie WR Garrett Wilson and rookie RB Breece Hall, as well as second-year RB Michael Carter.
Yes, this is quite the comparison, but Wilson has the arm talent to take a huge step forward this season, along with all new surrounding weapons. How big a step forward he takes will go a long way towards determining the success of the Jets’ season.
Will he reach Mahomes’ level? Maybe, maybe not. But there is still a ton of potential with the former No. 2 overall pick.
You can check out the full interview with Sports Illustrated here.
