While the Chicago Bears have been the disaster of the NFL so far, but there could be a major storm brewing over the Meadowlands with the New York Jets.
After the shocking injury to quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Monday Night Football in Week 1, the Jets have stuck with 2021 first-round pick Zach Wilson to little success.
On his podcast Flight Deck, ESPN’s Jets reporter Rich Cimini flatly stated that New York head coach Robert Saleh’s continued support of Wilson could cause him to lose the Jets locker room.
The Jets have lost two straight games since beating the Buffalo Bills in their opening game, with Wilson struggling mightily in both of those starts.
Saleh has publicly stuck by Wilson despite his on-field woes, and Cimini said that this could cause serious fracture in the Jets locker room.
“[Saleh is] coming off as a Zach apologist, and that doesn’t play well in the locker room,” Cimini said on his podcast. “The defense, in particular, is not happy. … This defense knows that if any other player were performing his job the way Wilson is performing his, that player would be benched. Trust me, there’s tension in that locker room.”
Cimini added that Wilson’s performance is becoming a “hot topic” in the locker room, and that there are signs of possible disaster brewing in the organization over the continued decision to keep Wilson under center.
“I get the sense, from what I’ve seen on the sideline and from what I’m hearing, that this team could be ready to implode, offense, too,” Cimini reported.
These are ominous words from someone very in know with the Jets, and it seems like New York is going to have to find some way to either get Wilson playing better quickly or find a different option for starting quarterback as soon as possible.
The team added quarterback Trevor Siemian to the practice squad this week and has journeyman Tim Boyle as Wilson’s current backup. However, neither of those guys is likely to move the needle much at quarterback.
Unless, as Cimini notes, the team swings a trade for a guy like Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins or Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill, options are limited for New York, and things could get ugly fast.
