Zach Wilson is still a quarterback for the New York Jets…for now. It still remains a question of “when” not “if” the Jets will trade the former No. 2 overall pick.
Jets general manager Joe Douglas met with the media for his pre-draft press conference Friday and was asked about the status of Wilson. Douglas called Wilson an “asset” but that the team remains open to trading Wilson and that “there have been discussions.”
Wilson is currently skipping the voluntary workouts as he and the Jets remain in limbo over the trade discussions.
There are a couple factors that are making trading Wilson a little more difficult for the Jets. First, many quarterback situations and even backup situations have been settled across the league. The Pittsburgh Steelers added both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, the Arizona Cardinals acquired Desmond Ridder to back up Kyler Murray and Buffalo brought back Mitch Trubisky as Josh Allen’s understudy, just to name a few.
Another obstacle is Wilson $5.45 million in fully guaranteed compensation, including a $4.3 million roster bonus due at the start of training camp. The Jets will either have to eat some of that money or attach a draft pick in order to facilitate a trade. If the Jets simply cut Wilson, they see no cap relief at all. But that may be an option the Jets ultimately have to take.
Whether it’s before, during or after the draft next week, one thing seems pretty certain: Wilson isn’t going to be a Jet much longer. The Jets have Aaron Rodgers and Tyrod Taylor on the roster and Douglas talked about wanting to have a “quarterback factory” like the Green Bay Packers of the 1990’s. That could lead to believe the Jets will take a quarterback later in the draft (Jordan Travis? Michael Pratt? Devin Leary?).
It’s just a matter of time at this point. Wilson is no longer part of that factory.
