Jets QB Zach Wilson recently lost his job for poor play and lack of accountability. That move has some NFL talking heads believing Wilson and the Jets may not last much longer. Although Wilson is just in year two of his rookie deal, NFL insider Jason La Canfora is already predicting a divorce between the 2021 No. 2 overall pick and the Jets.
Is Zach Wilson’s Jets Career Over?
During a recent interview on WFANs “In The Huddle” podcast, La Canfora had this to say about the situation.
“He doesn’t have a future there. … He lost his job to Mike effing White, you think he wants to be there? No. No! His agent says you took this kid second overall and that’s the look you gave him? That’s how little you believe in him? No. It’s over. He’s not a part of the immediate future and their immediate future’s everything, and in the offseason, both sides are gonna have a bunch of reasons why they should move on.
“If this thing goes off the rails a couple weeks from now … I don’t think they go back to Wilson. I don’t think that’s tenable.”
“Everybody’s saying what they got to say now because they’re in the middle of a playoff chase.”
Strong take from La Canfora, who is close to the franchise and may be onto something. The Jets have a ton of talent on both sides of the football, and their defense is a playoff-ready unit. The main hindrance was Wilson, who was downright terrible. His replacement, the aforementioned White, stepped right in and passed for 300 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-10 home win over the Bears.
Backup QB Matt White Is Way Better Than Zach Wilson
Prior to the 2021 NFL draft the Jets were so enamored with Wilson’s limited tape and pro day that they overlooked the red flags in his game; lack of maturity, leadership, low quality of competition in college at BYU and accountability.
Wilson’s has struggled from the jump in his rookie season, as most do, but he appeared to be finding his groove a bit as the Jets won games. However, following his nonchalant response following a Week 11 loss to the Patriots, his head coach Robert Saleh decided to make a change under center. In the game Wilson completed nine passes for 77 yards, and when asked if he let the defense and teammates down, he responded with a resounding “No, No.”
.@danorlovsky7 reacts to Zach Wilson's comments on if he felt the Jets' offense let the defense down:
"The comments were pathetic and they reek of insecurity. … He pointed fingers at everyone else but himself." pic.twitter.com/1Z7JyjEiBw
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) November 21, 2022
Wilson Apology Too Late To Save His Job?
While Wilson did eventually realize his mistake and apologize in front of the team, the damage had already been done.
“I had a sick feeling in my stomach.”
“It was the only thing I could think of the last couple of days. I wanted the opportunity to talk to those guys and really make it from the heart.”
All hope isn’t lost for Zach. During his weekly Monday presser, Saleh mentioned that Wilson could definitely be the starter again.
“We’re week-to-week. There’s things we’d love to see Zach accomplish over the course of a quality reset. This is Mike White’s opportunity, that doesn’t change. Mike’s got an opportunity to stack another great day up this week. When we feel like Zach is ready to roll, he’s gonna roll.”
Thats called protecting your investments, as the Jets don’t want to write off Wilson. That’s all for the cameras, because the reality is White and former Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco have been better under center. Flacco is old, but White is motivated and has proved to be flat-out better than Wilson, who appears to be on the clock.
