Heading into the 2022 NFL season, a lot of eyes were on the New York Jets, specifically with second-year quarterback Zach Wilson. Despite the strong start to the new season, Wilson and the Jets have begun to go downhill. With rumors swirling about his future past this season, what’s next for Zach Wilson?
In nine games this season, Wilson has thrown for 1,688 yards, six touchdowns, and seven interceptions. His total yards and touchdowns both rank 31st in the league, leaving fans a lot to be desired.
As the projected starter entering the 2022 season, Wilson suffered a non-contact bone bruise and meniscus tear in his knee in a preseason matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. As a result, veteran Joe Flacco started the season under center. In the first two weeks as a starter, Flacco led the team to wins and was performing better than Wilson when healthy.
After coming back in Week 4 and leading the team to a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Wilson only threw three touchdowns in seven games and threw for over 200 yards only twice during that stretch. Despite Wilson’s struggles, the team won five out of the seven games that he started from Weeks 4 through Week 11.
Although injuries played a role in why Mike White and Joe Flacco started this season, that is not the main problem for Wilson. Instead, the main problem for Wilson is that he has been ineffective all season and is holding New York back from being a playoff contender. In fact, his inconsistency led to being benched after Week 11 and in Week 16.
Heading into the NFL Draft last season, there was a lot of hype surrounding Wilson. At BYU, Wilson showed that he had the skills and talent to become a potential franchise quarterback. Wilson threw for 7,652 yards, 56 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions in his collegiate career. New York saw something in him to draft him second overall last year, so there is talent with Wilson. Still, he has not lived up to the hype since being drafted.
Even though Wilson’s career in the NFL has been rocky and his time with New York is more than likely over after this season, he is still young enough at age 23 to bounce back from this setback. Wilson has shown he has potential, but as it stands, Wilson’s time as a starting quarterback in the NFL could be on hold.
The best case scenario for Wilson is to get traded or released by New York this offseason, and opting to sign as a backup option for an established veteran. A vast majority of teams will not be interested in Wilson as a starter, but as a backup, there should be a market for Wilson.
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