The New York Jets were forced to bench quarterback Zach Wilson after head coach Robert Saleh realised he couldn’t best position the team to win with the sophomore starting.
Wilson was selected by the Jets with the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and played in 13 games as a rookie. He helped the Jets to a 4-13 record as he personally went 3-10, throwing for 2,334 yards and nine touchdowns while also tossing 11 interceptions.
However, he has thrown just four touchdowns and five interceptions in 2022. Wilson also performed particularly poorly in the loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, completing just nine passes for 77 yards despite the impressive play from the Jets defence.
Speaking after the game, Wilson risked derailing the locker room when he failed to take accountability for his substandard performance. He was asked if he felt the offence - who tallied just two yards in the second half against the Patriots - let the defence down, to which the quarterback bluntly responded: "no."
Usually NFL quarterbacks simply take accountability after a poor performance, but Wilson appeared to highlight his immaturity. Wilson thrown less touchdown passes (4) than backup Joe Flacco did (5) despite playing far more matches, and the 6-4 Jets appear to be winning games in spite of his play, rather than because of it.
Amid plenty of fanfare, Saleh has now confirmed Wilson has been benched in favour of third-string quarterback Mike White. NFL insider Ian Rapoport suggested the move was inevitable given the high-quality play showcased by the rest of the Jets roster.
“I remember the Jets thought this was going to happen last year, and actually I thought it was going to happen earlier in this preseason too when Zach Wilson had the opportunity to sit back, watch everything, and just listen in meetings - not be the focal point,” Rapoport said. “Maybe it would help him moving forward.
“This is not a case of Zach Wilson not working hard enough or not getting it - he works very hard, he’s there all hours, everything is done the right way and in fact, it would probably benefit him to take a deep breath and not put so much on his plate. That’s just not the way he’s wired but clearly none of it is working.
“This Jets organisation hasn’t totally lost faith in Zach Wilson. There is a chance he comes back and shows them he is the franchise guy, but the biggest issue is they’re really good in a lot of other places, including their record.
“Robert Saleh cannot go in that locker room and say, ‘We are giving our team the best chance of winning with Zach Wilson playing as he is’ - that’s why Mike White makes a lot of sense.”
After an awful offensive performance in the 10-3 defeat to the Patriots, the Jets are now bottom of an incredibly-competitive AFC East. Mike White will start in Wilson’s place as New York look to get back to winning ways when they welcome the Chicago Bears to MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
